


Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart (Prince Harry)

by GuitarAngel



Category: Harry Styles - Fandom, One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M, Prince Harry Styles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:01:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuitarAngel/pseuds/GuitarAngel
Summary: Harry was born into the royal family, but he hated it. He hated the pressure that was pushed onto his shoulders and the constant high expectations he had to live up to. Instead of being a perfect future king he decided to do anything and everything to taint his image. Parties, girls, late night car races. You name it. He did it.He finally convinces his parents to let him have some time away to clear his head and prepare for his upcoming duties as Prince and he finds himself at UCLA in California where he meets a girl who treats him like a regular person for once.





	1. Chapter 1

Harry’s POV

I was tired of it. Tired of it all. 

The pressure of not being good enough… 

People in the council talking down to me like some child who didn't understand anything even though I had been preparing for this my whole life. Not by choice of course. I have no say in the matter, but it's my duty as the prince to learn these things from a young age.

But did I listen?

Of course not. I spent my days partying with my friends and racing cars down the less driven roads outside of London. I always had a girl by my side and it pissed off my family to no end, but that's what they get for forcing me into a life I didn't want.

Everyone else got to choose the path they wanted to take.

Why not me?

So, I convinced my parents that I needed a break to go to college and when I finished I would “return to my duties”. I packed up my bags and headed to Los Angeles, California, hoping to have a break from it all and figure out what I wanted in life.

Louis, Liam, and Niall, my personal guards and dear friends, were coming with as well and although they didn't want to admit it I could tell they were excited for a chance of pace as well. To have a little more freedom.

After getting our dorms unpacked we headed out to find some place to eat, noticing that there as a bar/restaurant near campus so we decided to go there to have a little fun. Of course they all fought over which direction to take, making me annoyed as I jumped in and snatched the map from them. I had to admit it was a little confusing, but just as I was about to figure it out I heard Liam ask someone for directions and shortly after the sweetest voice filled my ears.

“Yeah, I was actually heading there myself. I can take you.”

I looked up to see the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on looking back at me.


	2. 2

Charlie’s POV

 

I had to admit that all of them were pretty attractive, but the boy with the long hair and green eyes just got to me. Something about the way his curly locks were perfectly falling over his shoulders and the way those emerald green eyes stared back at me made my stomach do flips. We stared at each other for a long moment until one of the others cleared their throat, which snapped us out of whatever trance we were in.

 

“Right, um. Let's go.” I said as I started walking towards the bar.

 

“So do you go to school here?” Green eyes asked me.

 

“Yeah. I'm only on my second semester, but it's been good so far.” I answered as I looked over at him. “Judging by how lost you boys were I'm assuming you just got here.”

 

He chuckled a bit and gave me a sheepish smile.

 

“Yeah. We just flew in this afternoon.” he said.

 

“I thought so. The London area I'm assuming? Your accents are pretty thick.”

 

“Yes, actually. How did you know the exact area?” he asked curiously.

 

“I happen to be very good at accents, you see. Plus I happen to love that area and study the architecture there quite a bit. Plus I've seen almost every Hugh Grant movie so that helps.” I said in a perfect accent before laughing at myself. “In other words I get very bored on my time off so I practice accents and other languages.”

 

He chuckled and smiled, showing off his adorable smile and dimples.

 

“That’s pretty good.” he said. “Hugh Grant movies are the best by the way.”

 

“Right? No one else gets it. About A Boy, Nine Months, and Two Weeks Notice. Plus Four Weddings and A Funeral. So many to choose from.” I said as I got a bit excited about someone else enjoying them as much as I did.

 

“You've got that right. Let’s not forget about Love Actually.” he added.

 

“Love Actually is one of the best movies ever made. Let’s be honest here.” I said seriously.

 

“I have to agree with you on that one.” he chuckled and smiled..

 

We chatted about the movies up until we got to Mickey’s Bar & Grill which was our destination. Green Eyes opened the door for me so I thanked him and stepped inside, spotting my roommate, her boyfriend, and my best friend immediately. 

 

“Hey, do you guys want to sit with us? My friends won't mind.” I asked them.

 

The other boys looked like they were going to argue but Green Eyes answered before they could convince him otherwise.

 

“Sure.” he smiled.

 

I led them over and greeted my friends who looked at me oddly.

 

“So this is Jenna, Jason, and Dylan. Guys this is… Shit I don't even know your names.” I laughed as I looked at the boys.

 

“Harry. I'm Harry.” Green Eyes, or Harry, said with a chuckle as he said hello to my friends.

 

The other boys introduced themselves as well so I learned their names as well, noticing that one of them was actually Irish. We sat down together with me between Harry and Dylan. I was surprised by how easily they all got along right away. I did notice, however, that Dylan seemed to be a bit more close than usual. I knew he liked me and I had been on a couple dates with him to try it out, but I just didn't feel anything for him like that. The feeling of his arm around the back of my chair made me a bit uncomfortable so I leaned forwards, hoping that he didn't take it the wrong way because I really did love having him as a friend.

 

Harry’s POV

 

Watching him lean closer to her was already irritating me. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable by the way she leaned away from his touch or turned away when he tried to say something a little too close to her ear. I could tell they were good friends by the way they laughed at each other’s jokes, but I didn't think it went further than that for her. 

 

“Hey, wanna come with to get drinks? I'll buy.” I said to her.

 

“Hmm? Oh sure.” she said as she stood up and walked to the bar with me, seeming a bit relieved.

 

“You alright?” I asked as we waited for the bartender to get our drinks for us. “That Dylan guy seemed to be making you uncomfortable.”

 

“It's fine, Harry. To be honest we've went out a couple times and he's a great guy, but I just don't like him like that. I'll talk to him about it. I just don't want to hurt his feelings, you know?” she said as she glanced back at him and saw that he was watching us so she turned back to me.

 

“That’s still no reason to make yourself uncomfortable like that. You should tell him right away before he goes too far.” I said to her.

 

“I know. I will. Thanks for looking out for me.”

 

She then did something I didn't expect. She leaned in and pressed her lips to my cheek which made my stomach fill with butterflies. The bartender brought our drinks so we proceeded to walk back to the table, handing them out to those who needed refills before taking our seats. As we sat down I glanced over to find her looking back at me and she quickly looked away then smiled to herself which made me laugh softly. 

 

Dinner was great and I got to know her a little better. I discovered that she was into photography but was taking a business major as a backup and also to give her a better insight on how to make her own business thrive one day. She got so animated when talking about her passion and I loved it. Her face just lit up with every word, drawing me in so her words were my only focus. 

 

By the time it was over I was almost disappointed to see her go. She had walked with us to our dorms since Dylan was apparently in the same one and I assumed she was going to take my advice to tell him to back off. Before she stepped off the elevator to her floor I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back.

 

“Hey, let me know if you need help alright? Here’s my number and my room is two fifteen. You can stop by whenever.” I told her as I gave her the napkin I had written my number on earlier.

 

“Alright. Thanks, Harry.” she smiled softly and put the napkin in her pocket before heading off to meet Dylan who was waiting for her at his door.

 

“Hey, wait!” I called, thrusting my hand out to catch the doors before they closed.

 

“I never did catch your name.” I said, feeling a bit dumb that I never asked before either.

 

She just laughed and smirked at me.

 

“Guess you'll just have to wait and find out.” she said as she turned on her heel then continued walking.

 

I smiled widely and stepped back against the wall, shooting Dylan a smirk and a little wave as he glared at me before shutting the door. This girl was going to be trouble… but I liked it.


	3. 3

Charlie’s POV

 

“It's because of that Harry guy isn't it? You found a new guy who has more muscles than me with an accent so you don’t want me anymore.” Dylan said after I broke the news.

 

“What? Are you fucking kidding me? I just met the guy a few hours ago!” I exclaimed as I looked at him. “We've been on what? Two dates? And you're already accusing me of being that shallow. I told you before we even went out that I wasn't sure that I would have feelings for you. I went out with you because you begged me to try and I did, but I still don't feel anything for y-”

 

I was cut off by his lips crashing into mine as he pushed me into the wall, probably harder than he intended because I hoped he would never push me that hard on purpose. A small yelp fell from my lips and it gave him enough of an advantage to push his tongue into my mouth. I squirmed in his grip, immediately feeling sick to my stomach. When I finally managed to get over the shock I bit down hard on his lip, seeing him jump back to touch the now bleeding area.

 

“Charlie, what the fu-”

 

This time I cut him off with a hard slap to the face. I shoved him away from me then quickly walked to the door, ignoring him as I went straight to the stairs because I didn't want to wait for the elevator. I ran down the stairs a level to get to Harry’s floor and knocked on the door, because at the moment a complete stranger felt safer than my best friend.

 

“Charlie!” I heard Dylan’s voice as he appeared at the end of the hall.

 

‘Please open the door... ‘

 

I knocked again a little more urgently and thankfully it was opened by Louis. I quickly slipped in and shut the door behind me, making sure it was locked so he wouldn’t be able to get in. As I turned around I saw all four boys looking at me a bit confused as they peered down the small hallway of their dorm suit.

 

Harry’s POV

 

“Are you okay?” I asked as I slowly stepped closer to her as she pressed herself to the door. The poor girl looked terrified.

 

A sudden bang on the door made her jump and she quickly ran to me, clinging to my body as her hands gripped onto my shirt.

 

“Charlie, open the door! I know you're in there! Look I'm sorry. Please just talk to me.” Dylan said on the other side.

 

I furrowed my brows and frowned as I glanced down at her, seeing her smudged lipstick which helped me put the pieces together.

 

“Listen to me. Go to my room and I'll deal with him okay?” I told her. “It's the one at the end.”

 

She seemed hesitant, but nodded and I passed her off to Louis who walked her to my room while I opened the door and immediately grabbed onto the front of Dylan’s shirt, shoving him back until he hit the wall.

 

“If you ever touch her without her consent again you'll have to deal with me. And you don't want that.” I growled, fighting the urge to punch his face in right then and there.

 

“Fuck off. This is between me and her. You don't even know her.” Dylan snapped as he pushed me off.

 

“I don't have to to know she's not into you. Get over it and move on or you'll lose her for good. You scared the shit out of her you dumbass. You'll be lucky if she ever talks to you again. Now get out of here before I call campus police.” I warned.

 

He looked like he wanted to argue so badly, but he just stormed off. I made sure he got on the elevator before going back into the suit and heading back to my room. Louis had given her a blanket which she wrapped around her shoulders and she had a bottle of water in her hands, but I could tell she wouldn’t be able to drink it based on how badly her hands were shaking.

 

“So, Charlie. Is that short for anything? Charlotte? Charleen maybe?” I asked, trying to get her focus off what he did to her.

 

She cracked a small smile which was the most I would expect from her right now.

 

“Just Charlie…” She said quietly.

 

“Well, Just Charlie. I can walk you back to your dorm if you want. Or you can stay here. I'll sleep on the floor.” I said softly as I looked at her, not wanting to kick her out when she was like this or send her off to be alone.

 

“I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor so if you'll walk me home that would be great.” she said softly.

 

I watched her start to take the warm blanket off but I stopped her.

 

“Keep it. It's kinda chilly out.”

 

She nodded and wrapped it around her body as we stood up, walking out into the hallway once more. Liam stepped out and gave me a look after I told them where I was going but I shook my head.

 

“I'm just taking her home. I have my phone. I'll be fine.” I assured them as I walked out with Charlie then shut the door behind me.

 

“They all looked so concerned about you leaving.” Charlie teased as a bigger smile worked its way across her lips.

 

“They've looked out for me since I was young. They're like the big brothers I never had.” I chuckled and smiled softly.

 

“I have two older brothers so I know what that's like. They're always so overprotective, but I'm perfectly capable of handling myself.” 

 

Not even a second later she tripped over the uneven sidewalk and I quickly grabbed onto her.

 

“You were saying?” I teased.

 

“Shut up. Clumsiness doesn’t count.” she laughed and playfully pushed me away as we started walking again.

 

It was nice to see her smiling and laughing again. I kept the topic on anything but Dylan as we walked the three blocks down to her dorms up until we reached her door.

 

“So I suppose this is goodnight then.” I said as I leaned against the wall to look at her.

 

“You can stay if you want… Jenna is gone so her bed is free. She lets her friend use mine all the time when I'm gone so she owes me.” She said.

 

“Are you sure?” I asked her, wanting to make sure that she wasn’t just trying to be nice.

 

She bit her lip and nodded slightly.

 

“Please? I know we just met but I don't really want to be alone right now and I don't have anyone else to call.” She said quietly as she messed with her keys.

 

I reached over and gently lifted her chin to get her to look at me.

 

“I'll stay as long as you need me to.” I say softly.

 

Her cheeks flushed and she quickly nodded then turned away to unlock her door. A soft chuckle fell from my lips and I followed her in,  seeing that the small room consisted of a bed on each side of the room, two desks next to them, and a closet for each side as well.

 

“I have to change. Make yourself comfortable.” she said as she stepped onto her closet and shut the door a bit, but I could still see her through the small crack she left.

 

I knew I shouldn’t look, but I couldn't help myself. She entranced me like no one ever has and the moment I saw the back side of her body I knew I was hooked. She didn't know who I was, or if she did she didn't care, and it was like coming up for a breath of fresh air after drowning for so long.

 

I knew right then that she would either be my saving grace or my downfall.


	4. 4

Charlie’s POV

I woke up late the next morning due to tossing and turning caused by nightmares. It sucked because Dylan was my best friend and he was the one I always went to when I needed a break from the stresses of college or life in general, but now I wasn’t sure if I could even be around him without panicking.

My attention turned to Harry who was sleeping on the bed across from me with his face buried into the pillow. I had to admit that he looked absolutely adorable and so peaceful as he slept. After carefully getting out of bed I walked over and gently brushed some hair from his face, smiling softly at him. I didn’t realize that I was playing with his hair until he hummed softly and made me jump.

“Feels nice.” He mumbled as a sleepy smile formed on his lips.

I quickly pulled back and blushed deeply.

“Sorry. I don't know why I did that. I mean I do know. Your hair is so soft and nice. Oh my god. I'm gonna shut up now.” I said, stopping myself from saying anything else embarrassing.

Harry chuckled and opened his eyes to look at me. Before I could say anything else he grabbed my hand and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles.

“Don't apologize, love. I liked it.” he murmured, making my cheeks turn even more red than they already were.

Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach as I looked into his bright green eyes. We stared at each other for a moment until I finally snapped out of it and got up.

“I um… I have to get to class. You can go or stay. I don’t care.” I said as I grabbed my clothes from the closet.

As I came out I paused, seeing Harry standing shirtless in the middle of the room with his hair a mess. Fuck me. He had a great body.

“You have tattoos.” I said as my gaze focused on the black ink that was on his skin.

“I do. I have to keep them hidden for um… for my job back home. And my family doesn’t exactly approve either so…” He trailed off then shook his head and pulled his shirt on.

“I have a couple as well. One on my side that was a bitch to get done and another on my ribs. I’ve been wanting to get a butterfly across my back, but I haven’t had the time. Not to mention the fact that I can’t exactly wear certain clothes with a bigass tattoo covering my back.” I laughed and shook my head.

“Really? Can I see?” He asked curiously before quickly shaking his head. “Wait. Sorry that came out kinda perverted.”

“Sure.” I shrugged, smiling at his shocked expression as I lifted my shirt up to show him the angel wings formed into an infinity symbol with the name of my grandpa and the date he died. I pushed my pajama shorts down a bit to show him the two red roses on my lower left side as well, more towards the front of my body than the back.

Harry’s POV

I watched in shock as she full on lifted her shirt up to her bra to show me the rib tattoo as well as her side one which she had to push her shorts down a little so I could see the whole thing. I definitely didn't expect her to do that, but I was glad she did. She was a little fearless when it came to things like this which I loved.

“Is this a memorial tattoo?” I asked her as I reached out to trace the one on her ribs gently.

“Yeah. My grandpa. He practically raised me because my parents are both doctors and super busy. I hung out with him as a kid and through high school. He taught me how to work on cars and we worked on one together which he left me in his will after he died.” she smiled sadly.

“I'm sorry.” I said softly as I looked up into her eyes, deciding not to comment on how sexy I thought her other tattoo was. Another time…

“Thanks… Anyway I really do have to go now or I'll be late.”

I dropped my hand so she could go get ready and when she returned to grab her things she grabbed my phone and put her number in. 

“In case you get lost again.” she teased with a smirk before heading out the door.

What the hell am I getting myself into?

Charlie’s POV

“Care to explain why there was a guy you just met yesterday in our room this morning?” Jenna asked me as we walked to the campus cafe for lunch.

“He was just keeping me company… Dylan.. he um… He kinda came onto me last night and freaked me out so Harry walked me home and you were gone so he stayed so I wouldn’t be freaked out.” I said quietly as I messed with the strap of my book bag.

“Dylan did what?” She stopped me and turned me to look at her before pulling me into a tight hug. “That asshole. I'm sorry, Charls.”

I sighed softly and let her hug me.

“It’s fine. He was frustrated because I told him I didn’t have feelings for him, but it's still no excuse for what he did.” I said.

“You're damn right it's not. If he tries talking to you today I'm going to kick his ass.” She mumbled as we started walking again, her arm linking with mine.

Jenna was a pretty good friend and I've known her since high school, but since she met Jason things have been different. She’s always with him and when I try to tag along they usually end up leaving me out anyway so I quit trying. That's why I got so close to Dylan. We met when I first got here last fall because he was in my photography class and we instantly hit it off. It used to be my favorite class, but now I was seriously considering ditching and faking being sick to avoid him.

“Charlie!” 

I broke from my thoughts as I heard his voice, immediately feeling a sense of panic wash over my body. Jenna pulled me a little faster and I fell right into step with her, silently praying for him to leave me alone but my prayers went unanswered as I felt him grab onto my arm.

“Would you just stop and let me talk to yo-”

Dylan was cut off when my hand came in contact with his cheek and I yanked my arm away.

“Don't touch me.” I choked out, feeling myself beginning to lose control of my emotions again.

I looked behind him and saw Harry standing there watching with his friends, waiting for my signal to allow him to step in. They must have just walked out of the cafe and were heading home when they heard everything.

“Jenna go ahead. I'm not feeling very hungry.” I said quietly as I walked past Dylan to go to Harry.

Harry’s POV

I immediately wrapped her up in a hug, hearing her sniffle which made my heart break.   
“Come on. You can come back to my room. I just got a bunch of snacks from the vending machines and we can watch movies.” I said to her.

She nodded slightly and allowed me to walk her back to my dorm. Liam and Louis made sure Dylan didn’t follow us as we made our way to my room, thankfully not having any more issues.

I'll deal with that asshole later…

“You gave him quite the smack back there. I could hear it from where I stood.” I joked, hoping to get a smile out of her.

She laughed a little and gave me a weak one which I accepted because I knew it was all she could give at the moment.

“My hand still stings. I thought about punching him but I probably would have broken something.” She said.

“Probably.” I chuckled a bit and looked over at her. “Anyway so what do you want? I got crisps, chocolates, gummy worms…”

“What are crisps?” she asked as she raised a brow.

“These.” I said as I held up the bag which made her giggle for some odd reason. “What?”

“We call those chips here.” she said.

“Chips? Well what do you call my chips then? The little sticks made from potatoes that are fried.” 

“French fries.” She smiled.

“Well that makes no sense. They’re not french  
“ I said with furrowed brows.

“Neither does calling them chips. I personally would have called them potato fingers or sticks but that's just me.” She shrugged.

I chuckled and shook my head, smiling as I tossed her a bag of everything since she never answered me. She immediately dug into each one while I grabbed my laptop so we could watch movies on it. Once everything was settled we got comfortable sitting on the bed together watching our favorite Hugh Grant movies. Of course we ended up making it into a game where we muted the movie and we each took a role to do voice overs for. It was so hilarious and both of us were crying from laughing so hard, barely able to make it through a few minutes of it.

Before either of us realized it the sky had turned dark and we were both too tired to move. I felt Charlie lay her head on my shoulder, completely asleep as she breathed softly. A soft smile made its way onto my lips and I carefully moved her to lay down with me on my bed, keeping my arms around her as I drifted off to sleep myself.


	5. 5

Charlie’s POV

I woke up in Harry’s arms after the best night’s sleep I've ever had. I had only met the guy two days ago and he was already making me feel so relaxed and safe… happy. I laid there watching him sleep until he finally stirred and looked at me with sleepy eyes.

“Morning.” he mumbled, giving me a sleepy smile.

“Do you have any classes today?” I asked him, not bothering to move away because I was so comfortable.

“Nope. This is exactly why I waited until yesterday to sign up because I knew weekends were off apart from a couple classes which I made sure not to take.”

I laughed softly and shook my head.

“Well since you have the day free would you want to spend the day at the beach with me? I know this place along the coast that has a really cool cave.” I said as I looked at him.

“Sure. That sounds fun.” he smiled and kissed my cheek before crawling out of bed.

My cheeks flushed from the contact and I got up as well, running my hand through my slightly messy hair before glancing over at him as he rummaged through his bag to get his swim trunks out.

“I'm going to run home and change. Meet me at the cafe. We can have breakfast there before we go.” I said as I pulled on my shoes then headed to the door.

“Are you sure you don't want me to walk you?” he asked, obviously concerned about Dylan.

“I'll be alright. Thanks though.” I smiled softly and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before I headed to my dorm.

Of course I had to bump into Dylan on my way out the door and I quickly reached for the door but he put his hand on it to stop me.

“Please wait. You don't have to say anything, but just… please listen.” He said in a pleading tone.

I sighed and stayed quiet, refusing to look at him.

“I'm so sorry for what I did and I know it was stupid. I was just upset, which is no excuse, and I just wanted you to know that I understand if you never want to speak to me again. But if you do find it in you to forgive me then just know that I'm going to stop trying to make you like me when it's obvious you don't. I also dropped out of the photography class so you don't have to skip it to avoid me.”

That last sentence made me look up at him in shock. I knew it meant a lot to him too and if he dropped out then he would have to make wait another semester to graduate.

“You don't have to do that.” I said to him.

“No, I do. It's not fair if I were to stay and make you uncomfortable when this is your passion. You need to focus and it'll be easier for you without me there. You're still my best friend, Charls, and I want what’s best for you so I can wait a little longer to get my credit. The semester just started anyway so it's not like it's costing me anything.” He laughed a bit then gave me a sad smile. “Anyway, I'll see you around. Just know that my door is always open… as a friend.”

I nodded and watched him walk away, feeling terrible that he dropped the class but I had to remind myself that it wasn’t my fault it came to this. Even when it felt like it was.

Harry’s POV

After sneaking out of the dorm room I met up with Charlie at the cafe, smiling as I watched her walk over in jean shorts and a Rolling Stones tank top.

“Great band.” I commented as I motioned to her shirt.

“Right? I love me some eighties bands. Guns ‘N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Def Leppard. Oh and Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks is amazing.” She said.

“She really is. I met her a few times.” I grinned.

“What? No way! I'm so jealous.” She pouted.

“They’re playing here in LA soon. I could get you in to see them if you want.” I smiled, already pulling my phone out to text her to ask if she could get me a couple tickets.

“Harry, if you could get me into a Fleetwood concert I would die. I would literally die.”

“Well don't die, but I'll make it happen.” I grinned, holding my arm out to her for her to take before leading her inside.

We had our breakfast and thankfully made it out to the beach without any of the boys tracking us down. What surprised me was when she led me out to this amazing classic car that she built with her grandfather. At first I didn't believe her but after hearing her talk about a bunch of car things that I didn't really understand it made sense. The car was beautiful. It was a silver ‘69 Mustang Fastback with a raised hood and just an overall sleek look.

“This car is amazing, Charlie.” I said as we got out at the beach and I took another look at it.

“Right? It's my pride and joy. I'll never go anywhere without this car. There are so many good memories attached to it and it's like I'm with my grandpa whenever I drive it.”

I watched her expression change to such fondness as she remembered her grandfather and I could see just how much this car meant to her. I smiled softly, then watched her grab her swim bag out of the car before she led me along the beach to the cave she was talking about. Thankfully it was more private so I didn't have to worry about anyone realizing who I was.

“So where is this cave you were telling me ab-”

I trailed off as I turned to her just as she was peeling the shirt off her body, unable to look away as she revealed the light blue bikini she had underneath that showed off her tattoos. God this girl was gorgeous.

“Harry, as flattering as your staring is it's kinda creeping me out now.” 

Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I heard her giggle as I blushed and turned away.

“Sorry. You're just… beautiful.” I said as I looked up at her, seeing her cheeks flush as well.

“Can you get my back?” She asked as she held up a bottle of sunscreen to me.

I nodded and put some in my hands then rubbed it into her skin, feeling my mind fall into the gutter for a moment as she pulled her hair over her shoulder. I fought the urge to place kisses on the newly exposed skin as I rubbed the sunscreen all over until her entire back was covered. When I finished she asked me to turn around so she could get mine. I pulled off my shirt so she could rub my back and when she finished I did the rest of my body as well.

“Alright come on. We have to swim a little ways.” she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the water.

We went in and I followed her as she swam towards a cliff and some bigger rocks, fighting some bigger waves that came over to us. It wasn’t too bad and when we finally got closer I could see the opening of the cave. I helped her climb up onto the rock then did the same, walking inside with her and smiling when I saw a faint glow coming from further in.

“What’s that?” I asked her.

“The best part. It's a kind of algae that glows in the dark. It's a lot brighter at night time, but as you can imagine it's a lot harder to get out here when it's dark. I usually wait until a full moon so I can at least see everything.” She explained as she led me in further.

As we got closer the glow became brighter and all over the walls I could see the blue algae lighting up the small cave. It was amazing to see and I couldn’t help but stare at it in awe.

“Wow… this is amazing.” I said as I reached out to touch it, finding the glow to remain on my fingers as I pulled my hand away from the wall.

“I found this place when I first came here with my family. My brother was jumping off the rocks out there but I saw the cave and came in to find this. I took a bit of the algae home with me in a pickle jar he had in the car.” Charlie laughed softly and smiled.

“Sounds like fun.” I chuckled and looked over at her with a smile on my face.

She was so close and I really wanted to kiss her, but after all that's happened with her I figured it was best to wait. So instead of planting one on her we moved to the mouth of the cave to sit in the sun and talk about random things. I came to learn that she was actually from Colorado and her family lived up in the mountains on this ranch where they raised horses. She moved away to LA to go to college to get a fresh start away from her family. As much as she loved them I could tell that with her parents being so busy she had some issues with them still.

“You should come visit sometime. You would love it. The mountains are absolutely beautiful and I could take you on a ride to the best places there.” She rambled, her face lighting up as she spoke about her home and how it influenced her passion for photography.

“That sounds great. I would love that.” I smiled softly.

“What about you? What's London like?” She asked.

“It's alright I guess. The city is nice, but I suppose I've grown a bit bored of it because I've been around there a thousand times and I know every inch of it. I'll admit it has some special places which I would love to show you some time, but it's just that I've been pressured to learn every inch of that place so it took away the beauty of discovering things for myself.”

As I was telling her this I realized just how easy it was for me to open up to her, which was always something that I struggled with.

“Yeah, I could imagine being a prince is rough.” She said.

“You have no ide- wait what? You know I'm a prince?” I asked in surprise.

“Harry, I've been learning all about London for a long while now. Of course I know who the royal family is.” She laughed.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked.

“Because a title doesn't mean anything. I wanted to get to know the real Harry. The guy who chose to study abroad and come to LA. Who likes Hugh Grant movies and is obsessed with Stevie Nicks. The one who has been kind enough to help me through a tough situation even though he barely knows me. I figured you would tell me in your own time.” She shrugged.

I stared at her for a long moment, having to stop myself from acting on complete impulse.

“Can I kiss you?”

Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded and I didn't wait a second more as I cupped her cheek and pressed my lips to hers.

Charlie’s POV

The moment his lips touched mine I felt my stomach fill with butterflies. His lips were so soft as they moved in sync with mine and hearing the waves crash against the mouth of the cave made it so much better. I knew that one day, maybe soon, he would have to return to London to take over his duties as a prince but I couldn’t stay away from him. From the moment we met it felt like I had been drowning this whole time and he was my first breath of fresh air as I finally made it to the surface.

We finally pulled away after a long while. Both of us breathless and recovering over the shock of what just happened. It felt like a dream that I never wanted to wake up from.

“Where have you been all my life?” Harry whispered as he kept his forehead against mine, making my stomach do flips.

“Waiting for you.” I replied with a smile making its way onto my lips.

The line was so cheesy, but the dimpled grin on his face let me know he appreciated a good cheesy line as much as I did. I leaned forwards and pressed my lips to his once more, pulling away after a moment.

“So I have a question for you. How did your grandmother take it when she found out you had tattoos?” I asked with a giggle.

“Oh she hated it. You have no idea.” He laughed, finally opening up and telling me about his family which I could tell made him feel relieved. I'm sure it was a lot of pressure holding back such a big secret from everyone.

“And the boys are your guards? They look kinda young to be your bodyguards.” I said as we laid on the beach together a little while later.

“Yeah. They kinda fell into it as well. Their fathers are personal guards for the Queen so they wanted to follow in their footsteps. Me, not so much. If I'm honest I would really like to get into photography and music. Those have always been passions of mine but I've never really been allowed to pursue them.” he sighed.

“Well why don't you do that while you're here? You know there is a big music contest at the end of the year here. You should sign up for it and prepare. You can take my photography class, too. I can get you up to speed so you're with the rest of the class.” I smiled as I sat up to sit on my knees facing him, getting excited thinking about having more classes with him. 

“You know what? I think I might.” he smiled. “I just need one thing from you first.”

Before I could ask what it was that he needed from me he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto his chest. I giggled as his lips touched mine again, both of us smiling into the kiss without a care in the world.

But the two men lurking nearby with cameras would soon change all of that.


	6. 6

“So do you think we could do this again tomorrow? It is Sunday so we don't have any classes.” Harry grinned as he walked me up to my door.

“Yeah. I think that would be fun. I'll take you around the city this time. Hell, we could even drive to Disney if you want.” I smiled, happily holding his hand as we reached my door after the most perfect day I've had in a long time.

“That sounds great, love. Just text me when you get up okay?” he said as he let go of my hand for a moment so I could grab my keys and unlock the door.

“Alright. I will.” I smile as I turned to face him, leaning back against the door.

I saw his gaze shift down to my lips as if he was thinking about kissing me so before he could think any longer I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him in for one. We had shared so many kisses today, but I couldn’t help but want more. His lips were so addicting and I loved the way his body felt against mine.

He hummed softly against my lips, gently pressing my body to the door as he held onto my hips. After a few minutes of making out in the hallway I reached down to open the door, stepping back into the room and leaving him in the hallway.

“Goodnight, Harry.” I said with a wide smile.

“Night.” He murmured with a smile.

I bit my lip and started to shut the door, but ended up throwing it open again to pull him in for one last kiss.

“Okay now you can go. Bye.” 

Harry’s POV

I chuckled as she shut the door once again, smiling to myself as I hovered in the hallway for a moment longer then finally headed home. Of course I was bombarded with questions the moment I entered the room and I just rolled my eyes.

“Calm down I was out with Charlie at the beach. I didn't get kidnapped or anything.”

“Harry you have to be careful here. Do you have any idea what people would do here if they find out who you are? And you do realize that there are media outlets here who would love to write anything about you and catch the two of you together.” Liam said.

“We’ll be fine. Besides she already knows who I am. She always has.” I shrug.

“Wait. She knows?” Niall asked.

“Yeah. She's known since we met and she hasn’t treated me any differently. She wanted to get to know just plain old Harry and you assholes are not going to ruin this for me.” I warned them as I pointed a finger at the three of them.

“What are you going to do when you have to go back?” Louis asked. “You can't just string her along then leave her. You're only here for the year and that's if there aren’t any issues.” 

“There won't be problems and I'll figure that out when we comes to it.” I said, though his words really hit me.

I knew I was leaving after the year was up and I was already growing to like Charlie. Leaving would crush her and that was something that I was a bit worried about. I probably should cut things off but the more I thought about it the more I decided to keep it to myself.

Charlie’s POV

I woke up from the best night's sleep I've had in a long while with a smile on my face. My lips still tingled and I could feel the way his lips felt on mine. After a quick shower I got dressed for the day in some shorts and a tank top then slipped on my converse.

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” Jenna asked as she walked in as she heard me humming to myself while I did my hair and makeup.

“I'm going to Disneyland today with Harry.” I smiled.

“Harry? Girl are you getting with the hotty from England? Tell me everything!” She exclaimed.

“I'm not getting with him, Jenna. We just kissed.” I shook my head.

“What? When?”

“Yesterday…. And last night before he left.” I giggled and smiled.

“Oh my god, Charlie! Since when did you become so much like me?” She teased with a laugh.

“No offense, Jenna, but I'm not like you. I don't have nearly as much confidence as you do.” I said as I shook my head.

“You can though. You just have to stop overthinking things.” Jenna said.

“That's easier said than done. I can't just shut it off. I have to go anyway. Harry is waiting for me.”

“Have fun and use protection!” She called as I headed for the door.

“Jenna! We're not having sex at Disneyland!” I said as I opened the door, revealing a grinning green eyed prince.

“Hey now... I mean it wouldn’t be off the table.” Harry said with an amused smirk on his face.

“Shut up. Come on.” I said as I grabbed his hand and pulled him along with me.

“Bye Jenna!” he called with a chuckle as he followed me.

He managed to stay quiet until we got in the car where he had to make the comment I was just waiting for him to say.

“So about this Disneyland sex. Is it going to be a public thing or…” He trailed off, bursting into laughter when he saw the look on my face. “I'm just teasing, babe. Come on. I'm actually excited to go on rides and stuff… Though I think you would have more fun on a different kind of ride.”

“Harry I swear to god I will kick your royal ass out onto the freeway.” I exclaimed which only made him laugh even more.

As much as it pissed me off I had to admit I loved hearing the sound of his laughter.

Harry’s POV

I quickly realized that riling her up was the most fun thing to do. She scrunched her nose up and furrowed her brows which was so adorable because she was trying so hard to be pissed off but only ended up looking cute. I eventually did stop, but only because we were getting close to our destination. As we got our wristbands and went inside I immediately felt nervous because the rides were much bigger than I thought and moved a hell of a lot faster.

“Your stalkers are here.” Charlie said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Huh? Oh yeah. They’ve been following us for a while. I told them not to come but I suppose they have to do their job… Plus I know they love rides so I won't bother telling them to leave.” I said with a shrug.

“Well they might as well just come with us. They look ridiculous trying to hide.” She said as she pulled me over to them to call them out for their terrible blending in skills.

“You guys really suck at this. At least blend in better. You look so obvious trying to hide behind things but you look right at us.” She said to them.

“We’re not that bad.” Louis huffed.

“Yeah. You kinda are. I've known you guys were behind us since we left campus.” I said with a chuckle.

“Whatever. Let's just go on some rides.” Niall said.

“Yes! Come on.” Charlie said as she pulled me along again. 

Of course she had to take me on one of the fastest rides first which was the Cars racetrack. I sat down nervously and bit my lip.

“Oh, did Harry mention he's a chicken shit who is scared of rides?” Louis smirked as he sat in the car next to ours.

“I am not.” I huffed.

“Harry, you should have told me. We could have done something else.” Charlie said as she looked at me with a frown.

“No. I'm alright. I want to be here. Besides I have to face my fears some time.” I said, trying to sound confident but I was far from it.

As the workers checked our harnesses Charlie reached over to grab my hand and I gave her a grateful smile, squeezing gently as I took a deep breath. The ride soon shot off and I screamed like a little girl which brought Charlie’s laughter to my ears. As much as I hated things like this hearing her laugh made it all easier for me. 

We ended up going on just about every ride throughout the day and I even bought us some matching mickey and minnie sweatshirts with some beanies as well. They came in handy when it got dark and colder, especially for Charlie who had shorts and a tank top on. She pulled the sweatshirt on and stuck the beanie on her head which made her look adorable. I smiled softly and sat next to her as we waited for the fireworks to go off for the night. Having her snuggled into my side was the best feeling and before I could think about the pain of leaving her at the end of the year I lifted her chin up with my finger, placing my lips on hers in a soft kiss. She immediately melted into it and pulled me closer, neither of us paying any attention as the fireworks began to go off in front of us.


	7. 7

“You're seriously going away for Spring break? What am I going to do without you for three weeks?” Harry whined as he watched me pack.

“Yes. I'm really going away… but you know I talked with my parents and… they said you could come with if you want to.” I said as I looked at him, hoping he would say yes.

“Do you want me to come with you?” he asked.

“Of course I do, Harry. I want to show you where I grew up.” I smiled as I walked over and stood between his legs while I gently played with his hair.

His arms wrapped around my waist and he closed his eyes, humming softly in approval. I had learned quickly that he loved it when I played with his hair and it always calmed him down whenever he felt stressed. We had spent the past four months glued to each others hips and barely ever away from each other. Not that I minded one bit. I loved being around him and I really wanted him to meet my family.

“I'll go then.” Harry smiled softly. “I'll have to convince the boys to let me go… or I could just sneak away and tell them when we get there.” he chuckled.

“Haz, you need to tell them.” I laughed softly and rolled my eyes. “Go on. I'll book your ticket. You need to pack.”

He smiled as I cupped his cheeks and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips before pulling back to let him go. He reluctantly stood up and before he left he pulled me into his arms, dipping me which caused a squeal to fall from my lips. He leaned down to kiss me as I giggled into his lips, smiling as I returned it then stood up.

“Alright lover boy. Get going.” I giggled and pushed him out of my room.

“Just one more?” He pouted.

“One.” I said as I gave him a stern look.

He smiled and nodded, puckering his lips. I leaned in and kissed his lips once more then quickly pulled back and shut the door on him. I giggled and smiled to myself then finished packing after I booked his plane ticket. I knew he would find a way to convince them to let him go anyway so I knew it wouldn’t go to waste.

An hour later I met Harry and the boys for dinner, seeing how frustrated they looked which told me that he managed to convince them to let him go on his own. We had a nice dinner, but as we were leaving Louis pulled me off to the side.

“Promise you'll keep an eye on him? It's not only our duty to protect him, but he's our best friend. We want to keep him safe.” he said.

“I know. I'll take care of him. I promise.” I smile softly. “I understand that he's important.”

“Thank you… You be careful as well. I know you care for him, but maybe it's best that you don't get too attached.” He said.

“What do you mean?” I frown. 

He opened his mouth but Harry walked over and interrupted us.

“Ready to go?” he asked me.

“Yeah. Let's get going.” I said as I grabbed his hand and walked away, glancing back at Louis.

His words confused me and I wanted to ask him what he meant but that would have to wait until we get back.

We spent the night together and the next morning we got on a plane to go to Colorado. It was a pretty short flight so before we knew it we were flying over the Rockies and into the Denver airport. After gathering our luggage I led him to the main entrance, expecting to see my dad or Jessie, a guy who worked on my parents’ ranch and was like another brother to me, but was completely surprised to hear the little voice of my niece calling out to me as she stood next to my brother.

“Josie May!” I smiled widely, kneeling down as the little two year old ran into my arms.

I picked her up and showered her with kisses which made her giggle and squeal happily. Her little arms clung to my neck as she gave me a squeeze which I immediately returned.

“I missed you my little love bug.” I smiled as I pulled back to look at her then finally turned to Harry who looked panicked for a moment.

“She’s my niece, Harry. Calm down.” I laughed, rolling my eyes as I carried her over to my brother then gave him a hug. “Matt, this is Harry. Harry, my brother Matt.”

“Nice to meet you.” Harry said politely as he shook my brother’s hand, letting his more proper princely side show.

“Likewise. Charlie has been telling us quite a bit about you. I had to come see for myself.” Matt chuckled.

My cheeks turned red and I shook my head.

“I have not talked about him a lot.” I huffed.

“But you have talked about me.” Harry smirked.

I huffed and pouted as I walked off with Josie, hearing them both chuckle behind me as they followed. After a thirty minute drive we finally arrived at my childhood home which was in the middle of the mountains surrounded by the frosted peaks and beautiful fields of wildflowers.

“Wow. This place is incredible.” Harry said as we stepped out of the car and looked around.

“It is isn't it?” I smiled. “I'll show you around after lunch.”

I set Josie on her feet then grabbed Harry’s hand as we walked up to the front door. Surprisingly my parents had taken the first few days off from work to spend time with me and my brother which was a rare occurrence. They were great parents, but most of the time they prioritized work over spending time with us kids. Of course Harry was extremely nervous meeting my parents, but I just introduced him as a friend so they didn't ask too many questions. Though I could tell my mum knew something was going on between us right away.

“We’re heading upstairs to unpack quick.” I said as I grabbed Harry’s hand and led him towards the stairs.

“Guest room, Charlie.” My dad called, referring to where to put Harry.

“I know.”

I rolled my eyes but took him up to the guest room which was just across from my old room.

“My room is right across the hall. I know what my dad said, but I'll probably come in here when they go to sleep.” I giggled softly and smiled as I pecked his lips.

“Why did you introduce me as just your friend?” he asked, making me frown a bit.

“Would you rather me say that we're dating but haven't exactly put a name to it yet so my dad and brother watch us like a hawk the whole time? Besides we haven’t exactly talked about what this is yet so what did you expect me to say?” I asked him as I pulled back.

He sighed softly and shrugged.

“I don't know. I suppose it's better this way but I won't be able to kiss you now.” he pouted.

“We can still kiss, Harry. There are plenty of places out here for us to be alone. Trust me.” I said softly as I pecked his lips. “Come on. I think lunch should be ready by now then I'll take you for a ride.” 

Lunch ended up being great even though my parents and brother were asking him quite a few questions about his family and what they do for a living. He managed to convince my family they were in public communications or something like that which was a believable lie. Of course we couldn't tell them the truth about who he was because I knew they would judge him and me for being with someone like him who was in the public eye so much. Though we had yet to be spotted which was nice. I was dreading the day that we were noticed. 

After lunch I pulled Harry out to the stable and he chuckled a bit when he realized what I meant by taking him for a ride.

“You've ridden before right?” I asked him. “Is that like a mandatory thing for royals?”

“It’s not mandatory, but I do know how to ride. It’s just been awhile.” He shrugged.

“I'll put you on Gipsy then. She’s my girl. Super sweet. She’ll take it easy for you.” I smile and lead him over to where my black mare stood in her stall. 

I smiled as she immediately recognized me and nuzzled her head against mine for attention.

“You two seem to have a great bond.” Harry commented with a smile.

“Yeah… I’ve raised her since she was a baby. Her mom was killed by a mountain lion and none of the other mares would foster her so I pretty much became her mother. I came out and fed her every few hours, sometimes even slept in the stall with her if I got too tired. I was exhausted during school but it was worth it. She turned out to be the best horse I’ve ever had.” I smile as I stroke her cheek lovingly and kiss her nose.

“Charlie!” I turned to look towards the voice and smiled when I saw the stable hand who I grew up with walking over to me.

“Jesse! How are you?”

I immediately went over and gave him a big hug, though I did feel Harry’s intense stare hitting my back. I couldn’t help but smile because I knew he was jealous and it was adorable.

Harry’s POV

I frowned as I watched Charlie hug this Jesse guy a little too tightly for my liking. He was a good looking guy so if he wanted to have her he could, but there was no way in hell that I wouldn’t put up a fight for her. They continued catching up until I cleared my throat to remind her I was still here.

“Oh sorry. Jesse this is Harry. We’re kinda dating but my dad and Matt don't know so don't tell them.” She said, making me feel relieved.

At least she told him she was taken now.

“I see.” He chuckled and held out his hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you. I suppose I'll grab the tack for you two. Charls, did you want to take Jax?”

He turned his attention back to her and she nodded.

“Yeah if you can get him in. If not I can take one of the others.” she said.

“It’s no problem. He's just outside by the gate. I'll grab him.” Jesse said before walking off and leaving us alone for a few minutes.

Charlie turned on her heels and smiled widely at me.

“What?” I asked.

“You were jealous.” She teased.

“Was not.” I mumbled as l crossed my arms.

“Was to.” She giggled and walked over, holding onto my arms as she stood up on her tiptoes and placed a sweet kiss on my lips. “It’s adorable.”

Her infectious smile spread onto my lips as she pulled away and I immediately went back in for another kiss, reaching down to lift up her legs so they were around my waist. I shifted our bodies so I could press her against the stall door. The kiss deepened until I felt something pulling on my hair and furrowed my brows. Charlie immediately burst into giggles as she pulled away, seeing her horse nibbling on my head and causing the hair to stick up all over the place.

“Gipsy leave him alone.” She laughed as she gently pushed the horse’s head away from me.

“I don't think she likes me stealing your attention.” I chuckle and smooth down the spit covered spot on my head. “I'll definitely need a shower when we get back.”

“We both can have one.” She smiled and pecked my lips before lowering herself back onto her feet. 

Thankfully Jesse returned a minute later with a brown horse that had black hair, muzzle, and stockings. I watched as she smiled and greeted the horse who seemed to know her just as well as Gipsy. It was great seeing her with these animals that I knew she adored and I could already tell that she had a good soul. She was always taking the extra mile to help people and it was a great quality for a queen.

“Do you need me to help you with the tack?” Jesse asked, snapping me out of my daydream of royal weddings and charity balls with Charlie by my side.

“Um no. I got it.” I said as I took the tack from him then placed it on the horse.

In a few minutes the two of us mounted our horses then took off down a dirt path through the fields of wildflowers. It was absolutely beautiful being up in the mountains, especially on the untouched parts where everything was strictly made by nature. I could only imagine growing up in a place like this and being able to enjoy this every day.

We stopped in a valley up on the mountain that had a small lake in the middle with wildflowers growing around it and a few trees. It looked like the perfect place to relax and take a dip in the water on a hot day like this. It seemed like Charlie had the same idea because she dismounted, taking the bridle off Jax then let him wander off before heading towards the water.

“You can just let her go. They'll stay close.” She said to me as I got off as well.

I nodded and did the same, placing the bridle next to hers, and when I looked up my breath caught in my throat. She already had her pants off and I watched as she slowly lifted the shirt off her body to reveal the pink underwear set she had underneath. Her tattoos were now fully visible and I couldn’t help but stare as she pulled the hair tie out of her hair to let it fall down onto her shoulders. She looked back at me and smirked a bit.

“You coming?” She asked as she stepped into the water and swam around.

I nodded and started to strip down to my boxers, pausing when I saw her wet bra falling onto the ground by my feet. I glanced up at her to see her smiling innocently at me which gave me all sorts of feelings.

‘Holy shit…’

Charlie’s POV

Oh god. What the hell am I doing? I immediately regretted my bold decision to throw my bra at him but the way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine. We had been together for a couple months but we had never gotten much farther than a few heavy makeout sessions where he lost his shirt. We always seemed to be interrupted by one of the boys or Jenna so it never got any further than that. Now we were a good few miles away from anyone who could interrupt us.

I watched him swim closer and closer until he was finally right in front of me and his hands reached out to grab my waist, pulling me against his body. With my hands on his shoulders I pulled myself up to wrap my legs around his waist then gently ran my fingers through his hair as our lips brushed against each other.

“My heart is beating so fast right now.” He whispered.

“Mine, too.” I whispered back, glad that I wasn’t the only one.

We looked at each other for another long moment then he took the first move by kissing me with more hunger than I had felt from him before. I returned the kiss as my fingers tugged on his hair, earning a moan from him. It didn’t take me long to figure out that he loved having his hair played with and pulled so I did it often, especially in times like this.

His lips broke from mine, only to reattach themselves to my jaw as he trailed kisses down to my neck and across my collar bones. A soft gasp fell from my lips as I felt him nip at my sweet spot, closing my eyes as my head fell back to give him more room. His lips traveled further down and I couldn’t help but moan when his mouth latched onto my breast. His mouth distracted me so much that I didn’t realize he had carried me out of the water to lay me down in the flowers near the trees so we at least had a little shelter in case anyone did happen to show up even though it was highly unlikely. 

“Are you sure you want this?” he asked as he pulled back to look at me.

Without missing a beat I nodded and pulled his lips back to mine in a soft kiss. It was definitely an odd place to be in this situation, but there was also some sort of romantic nature about it. Every touch and every sweet whisper was enough to send me into a state of pure bliss that made everything else fade away so it was just the two of us in this moment.

When we finished he just held me close, brushing some hair from my face before speaking the three words that I had been dying to tell him for weeks but hadn’t found the right moment.

“I love you, Charlie.”

I felt my heart skip a beat and smiled up at him, lifting my head to kiss his lips gently.

“I love you, too.”


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think so far!! Thanks for reading. :)

Charlie’s POV

We stayed at the lake and swam around for a little while longer as our clothes dried then headed back to the house in order to make it before it got dark. As we took the tack off our horses and gave them a quick brush down I couldn’t help but glance over at Harry who had been staring back at me with a smile on his face. I blushed as I smiled back at him before looking away, biting my lip gently as I remembered just how good he made me feel a couple hours earlier. He was the prince of freaking England and I was so madly in love with him. I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn’t realize he had walked over into the stall I was in until he was pressing me against the wall.

“Don't bite your lip like that. It drives me crazy.” He mumbled.

“Sorry.” I whispered, glancing down at his lips as I subconsciously bit my lip again.

He let out a low groan and a second later his lips were on mine. I happily returned the kiss, gasping softly as his hands slid up my shirt which gave his tongue access to my mouth. Before we could go any further I heard someone clear their throat and quickly pulled away to see Jesse leaning over the stall door with an amused grin on his face.

“There’s a storm coming in and dinner is ready. You two are so lucky Jensen didn’t find you.” He teased before walking off.

I blushed deeply and hid my face in Harry’s chest for a moment as I caught my breath.

“Who is Jensen?” Harry asked me.

“My eldest brother. He must have arrived while we were gone. Come on.”

I kiss his cheek then grab the brush I had been using on Jax, putting it away before we headed back to the house. As much as I wanted to be close to Harry right now I knew it wasn't the right time. Especially with my very over protective big brother here. Matt was more understanding and laid back but I knew Jensen would freak out if he found out about us. He always did with guys I was close to.

As we stepped into the house I heard his voice right away and although I was nervous about introducing him to Harry I was still very excited to see him. He turned to me right away and I smiled widely, running over to give him a big hug which he immediately returned.

“Hey, kiddo.” He smiled and rubbed his knuckles into my head like he used to when we were kids.

“J, stop it!” I growled, letting out an annoyed huff as I struggled to push his muscular arm out from the hold he had on my neck to keep me in place. “I'm too old for this shit.”

“You'll never be too old for a noogie, sis.” He laughed and kissed my head before finally letting me go.

I punched his chest which only made him chuckle before Harry finally caught his attention. He straightened up right away and walked over to size him up, obviously making Harry uncomfortable from the way he shifted on his feet.

“I'm Harry. It's nice to finally meet you.” he said politely as he held his hand out.

“You look familiar.” Jensen said, making both of us tense.

Harry shot me a panicked look over Jensen’s shoulder and I just shrugged, not knowing how he could possibly know. Though he did travel a lot I wasn’t sure if he had ever been to England or not.

“It must be just my imagination. Anyway I'm Jensen, Charlie’s older brother who is a Navy Seal who owns multiple weapons and knows how to use them very well.” He said with a smile, shaking Harry’s hand with a firm grip.

“Yeah, must be.” He mumbled and nodded.

“Alright I think Harry wants to freshen up before dinner right? I'll show you to the bathroom.” I said as I quickly stepped in and grabbed his arm, leading him upstairs before both of us let out the breath we were holding.

“He doesn’t know who I am right?” Harry asked me.

“I don't know. He travels a lot but I've never heard him talk about England or anything like that. He's mostly gone to the Middle East.” 

“If he finds out he’s going to murder me. Your brother scares me.”

I sigh softly and cupped his cheeks so he looked at me.

“You’re going to be just fine, Harry. I promise. I made a promise to the boys that I would take care of you and I plan on keeping that promise. Besides no one would dare hurt you if they knew who you really were.” I teased, kissing his lips gently.

We got freshened up then headed downstairs to have dinner with the whole family. Lunch was more casual but dinner ended up being a little more nerve racking for Harry so I slipped my hand under the table to hold his hand, giving it a soft squeeze. He glanced over at me and smiled softly then placed a soft kiss on my cheek when he thought no one was looking. I smile softly then lean a little closer to him but not too close to make it obvious that we were together. 

After dinner we helped my mum do the dishes which surprised her a little because she didn’t expect him to offer to help at all. I found it funny though that he really had no idea what he was doing so I put him on drying duty so it was simple and I put the dishes away. It wasn’t long until my dad and brothers called him out onto the porch for a drink. I giggled softly as he gave me a scared look, shaking my head before turning back to help my mum.

“You know I haven’t seen you this happy in a long while.” My mum said as she caught me checking up on Harry through the window. “I suppose Harry has nothing to do with it.”

I blushed deeply and looked over at her.

“I am happy, mum.” I said softly.

“Good. I’m glad you finally found someone who makes you this happy. I’ve seen it on your face since you came in with him. You love him don’t you.”

“Yeah, I do… He’s really sweet and such a dork, but he makes it work.” I smiled softly as I thought about it.

“He’s quite the looker, too. You picked a good one, honey. Just remember to stay safe. I’m not ready for any grandbabies.”

“Mum!” 

She just laughed as I blushed deeply. We finished up the dishes then I was finally able to go out to sit with Harry and the others who had gravitated towards the fire pit for the night. I sit next to him and give him some of the blanket I had, deciding to just go ahead and lean into him because if my mum knew about us then it was obvious the rest of my family caught on as well. None of them really seemed to mind as they just relaxed and chatted around the fire. Of course they had to go around and share every embarrassing story about me that they could think of which Harry seemed to enjoy despite the fact that it was making me miserable. 

“Alright I think that’s enough embarrassing me for the night. Jensen will you play us something? I haven’t heard you play in so long.” I asked my older brother who sighed, but gave in and went to get his guitar that he left here for moments like this.

I smiled as he strummed the familiar chords to ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ which was a song he used to sing to me when I was younger. He had such a good voice and it always relaxed me when he sang it. A soft smile formed on my face as I laid my head on Harry’s shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around my shoulders a moment later. I looked up to see him watching as well, focusing on the way my brother was strumming and singing. What surprised me was the fact that I heard him humming along to the song.

When Jensen finished we all clapped for him then Harry surprised me once more by asking if he could play something as well. Jensen handed over his guitar and everyone watched as Harry began playing ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac which he knew was my favorite song. The smile that had been slowly forming on my face grew even bigger as he began to sing the song, filling my stomach with butterflies. He seemed a little nervous to be singing in front of all of us though so I decided to step in and helped him by singing the harmony. He gave me that dimpled smile that I loved so much as we sang to each other, completely forgetting about everyone else for a while.

“I didn’t know you could sing.” He said as we finished. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” I grinned, giving him a playful wink.

He chuckled then passed the guitar back to Jensen who played around a bit more. I ended up falling asleep while we were out there so Harry carried me inside and gently laid me down in bed. As he began to pull away I pouted a little and gently tugged his hand to get him to lie down as well.

“Stay.” I mumble.

“I’m sorry, love, but I’m finally starting to win your dad over a little bit and I don’t want to ruin that. Maybe tomorrow.” He murmured.

I pouted a little, but nodded. He ended up just lying down with me until I fell asleep again and the next morning I woke up to find him downstairs cooking breakfast with my mum. The two of the seemed to be having a really nice conversation and it made my heart swell seeing him getting along so well with my family. I really hoped that they would get to know him like I did and maybe look past the whole Prince of England thing once they found out who he really was. 

As I thought about it a little more my smile faded slightly. I still didn’t know when he was supposed to return or if I would even be able to adjust to that sort of lifestyle. I hated attention, but I would definitely get a lot of it if I were to come out as the prince’s girlfriend. And my freedom… that would all be taken away in an instant and it terrified me. Was I really going to give all this up just to be with him?

Harry’s POV

I turned from Charlie’s mother to catch the backside of Charlie as she walked out the front door faster than usual which made me realize that something was wrong. 

“Go ahead, sweetie. I’ll finish up here.” Her mother smiled.

“Thank you.” I said to her before rushing out after Charlie.

I found her standing out in the pasture with Gipsy, gently stroking under her head as she spoke to her. I couldn’t hear what she was saying from where I was standing, but as I moved closer she stopped anyway to look at me.

“What’s wrong, love?” I asked as I looked at her, bringing my hand up to the small of her back.

“You’re a prince, Harry…” She started, making my heart drop because those words never ended well for me. “I’m just me. How can I possibly fit in to your life? I’m not a big fan of being the center of attention and I can’t stand wearing dresses. And what am I supposed to do while you’re out doing your Prince thing? When do you go back?”

I stayed quiet for a moment and looked away, feeling guilt flooding my veins. I should have never gotten this close to her.

“I finish off this semester then I have to leave…” I said quietly.

“So you’re not even finishing in LA? You were just going to leave for a year and not tell me anything about it?” She asked as her eyes watered. 

“I was kind of hoping you would come with me to finish off our studies in London…” I bit my lip and finally looked at her.

“And what about what I want, Harry? What about my family? My friends? I can’t just move to another country with you and leave them behind.”

“I would never ask you to leave your family and friends, Charlie. As much as I would love for you to come with me the choice is yours. The whole long distance thing might be difficult, but I have the money to visit and I can pay for you to visit me if you choose to stay in LA to finish off your studies… or even if you decide to stay here for good. I know this is your home and I love you enough to accept whatever decision you make as long as you can promise me that I can still be with you. I’ve been on my own for so long and I’ve done some pretty stupid and reckless things in my life, but all I want is to be good enough for you… I know this is cheesy as hell, but you make me want to be a better man. To do better and help people more. I want to be someone that you’re proud of.”

I could see that she was getting emotional and I had to admit that I was getting pretty emotional as well as I thought about leaving her here for that long, if not forever. But she had the one thing I didn’t. A choice. I didn’t get to choose my family or the title I was born into, but she had the chance to decide if she wanted to be a part of it or not. I, of all people, knew just how rough and lonely it could be to be part of the royal family, so if she chose to stay away from that side of things I would completely understand.

“Come here.” I said softly, pulling her into my arms.

I held onto her as she clung to me as if I would disappear. I felt awful putting her through this, but it was just the way things were and I hoped that fate would work in our favor when it came time for me to leave.

“I love you so much, and I’ll still love you even if I have to see that beautiful face of yours over facetime for a while.” I said, hearing a soft laugh come from her.

She pulled back to look at me and I gently wiped her tears then met her lips in a soft kiss.

“I love you, too, Harry… but I’m going to need some time to think about it. Moving to England… it’ll be a lot.”

“I know, love. Take all the time you need. I’ll still be here for a few months yet and I plan on spending every second of it with you.”

I cupped her cheeks and pressed my lips to hers once more. I decided that from now on I would no longer think about the little time we had together and instead I was just going to make it the best time for us. Even a screw up like me knew that love like this only came around once in a lifetime and there was no way in hell that I was going down without a fight.


	9. 9

Charlie’s POV

We ended up having a pretty good vacation despite the fact that I was constantly thinking about him leaving at the end of the year. After finding out this new information I had practically been glued to his hip, only separating when we had different classes. It was hard coming to a decision about what I wanted and if I was ready to be part of the royal life. I knew we weren’t getting married or anything, but I would still be attending events and whatnot which was terrifying enough already.

I laid beside him one night running through every pro and con in my head, trying to figure out what the best choice was. My thoughts were broken, however, when Louis suddenly burst in the door which cause us both to jump.

“What the hell, Lou.” Harry grumbled in a sleepy voice as he sat up in bed.

“Harry, it’s your dad. We need to get you to London immediately.” He said.

Harry’s whole body tensed and I frowned, knowing that his father had been sick for a while as he battled cancer but from what Harry told me he seemed to have been getting better. Obviously that was not the case.

“How long do I have?” He asked quietly.

“Our flight leaves in an hour.” Louis said before leaving the room.

Harry sighed deeply and sat forwards with his head in his hands. I sat up and wrapped my arms around him as I kissed his cheek gently then laid my head on his shoulder.

“He’ll be okay. If he's anything like you he'll make it through this.” I said softly.

“Charlie… if I leave I won't be allowed to come back… My father is the King and since he’s sick I'm next in line to the throne.” He said quietly.

I held onto him tighter and buried my face into his neck, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. We were supposed to have two more months together. I wasn’t ready to let him go yet.

“Charls, please look at me.” He whispered.

I reluctantly looked up at him and he pulled me into his lap so I was straddling him then wrapped me up in a hug. I held onto him tightly for a long moment until I pulled away to give him a deep kiss. His hands slid up the shirt that was covering my body and lifted it off my body. It wasn’t long until our bodies were bare and moving together in sync as the two of us tried to forget about the fact that he was leaving and we had no idea if we would see each other again.

Not long after I was sitting in his bed covered up by the blankets, allowing silent tears to fall down my cheeks as I watched him pack up his things. It felt like with each step my heart was breaking a little more and I was starting to become stressed and a bit panicked about having to make a decision right away. He seemed to sense it because as he set his bags by the door he pulled out the sweater I loved to wear of his and brought it over, gently placing it on my body.

“You don’t have to make a decision right away. You'll still have time. Keep this safe for me until I see you again alright?” He said softly.

I sniffled and nodded, giving him one last kiss.

“Call me when you land, okay? I love you.” I said softly.

“I love you more.” He whispered between kisses as he gave me a few more before he finally walked out and left.

I curled up in bed and just cried, barely even able to sleep until I heard that he landed safely. He called me later that day while I was still in bed and I could hear the sadness in his voice as he spoke.

“Did you get any sleep?” he asked me.

“No… not really.” I sighed.

“Me either… I'm already missing you. We’re almost to the hospital now so I'll call you later. Try to get some rest okay? I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I said quietly, biting my lip as the call ended.

I rolled over onto my back and pressed my palms to my eyes to hold back tears. Eventually I got myself out of bed, pulling on a pair of leggings before I called Dylan and Jenna to meet me for coffee.

We sat on a park bench close to campus and I sniffled a bit, wiping at my eyes.

“Wow… A prince? Really?” Jenna asked.

“I thought it was weird that those three guys were following him around everywhere.” Dylan said as he furrowed his brows.

“That’s not the point. The point is that if his father doesn’t get better then he'll be king and he won’t be able to see me anymore. He won’t have time to fly here to visit and I don’t even know if I can handle being there and a part of his life. You both know how I am. I would never be able to fit into that kind of lifestyle.”

“You want me to be honest?” Dylan asked, waiting for me to nod before he continued. “I may have wanted to be with you, but after seeing how happy he makes you I know I wouldn’t have done that good of a job. That guy bends over backwards for you and he has the money and power to literally treat you like a princess. If anyone deserves that it's you. The guy loves you and we both know you're head over heels for him too. Just go for it. It might be a change for you, but you can handle it. You have him to help you adjust. If you can’t take it then you can always come home. It won’t be a permanent thing if you decide to go  
“

“He’s right, Charlie. I mean, how often are you going to win over a prince? Never. This is your chance to have the fairytale life you've always wanted. Plus you can show me around Buckingham Palace when I come visit you.” Jenna said.

I laughed softly and shook my head.

“You guys really think I should go?” I asked.

They both grinned and I ran my hand through my hair.

“Alright. I'll do it.”

~.:o:.~

I landed at Heathrow airport and grabbed my luggage before looking around for Liam. I still couldn’t believe I did this, but after speaking with Liam I knew it was the right choice. Apparently Harry wasn’t taking his father’s sudden drop in health very well and I knew I needed to be there for him.

As Liam drove me into Buckingham Palace I felt sick to my stomach from nerves. I already felt so out of place in my skinny jeans and Harry’s sweater. I followed Liam through the massive halls towards the private residence and I bit my lip as I heard crashes from inside the room that I assumed was Harry’s. Louis and Niall stood outside and gave me sympathetic looks, letting me in to see Harry sitting at the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. His room was a mess from things he had thrown around and I slowly made my way over to him.

“Harry.” I said softly, catching his attention.

His head shot up and I finally saw his watering eyes that were bloodshot from lack of sleep. I stayed silent as I stepped between his legs and cupped his cheeks as he looked at me as if I were some sort of hallucination.

“I'm here, baby. I'm here.” I said softly, showing him that I was real.

In a second his arms were around my waist and I cradled his head in my hands, allowing him to bury his face into my stomach. My heart broke as a sob fell from his lips and his body trembled as he finally let everything out that he had been holding in. I held him like that until he calmed down then we finally moved to lie down on the bed for a little while. 

We laid facing each other with our legs tangled and our upper bodies pressed together. He had one arm underneath my pillow and neck while the other was wrapped around my waist. I tucked one arm between us and used the other to reach up and gently run my fingers through his hair on the side of his head.

“I can’t believe you're here…” He finally spoke. “I honestly thought you were going to stay.”

“I'll be honest I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but Dylan and Jenna convinced me that a love like this happens once in a lifetime and I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t take this chance with you.” I said softly.

“Well remind me to thank them.” He smiled a little then leaned in to place a soft kiss on my lips.

Our perfect moment was interrupted when Louis knocked on the door.

“Harry, your mum wants to see you.” He said.

Harry sighed softly but nodded and got out of bed before turning to hold his hand out to me.

“Ready to meet my family?” He asked.

“Now?” I asked him, immediately feeling nervous.

“Yes. It'll be alright, Charlie. They already know about you. The whole country does. I meant to tell you earlier, but while we were in LA there were some photographers who caught a few pictures of us together. You're pretty much a celebrity now.” He laughed weakly.

“What? Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked him.

“I didn’t want to worry you. I stopped them from posting any more but for the most part a few got out and I'm sure they'll be all over the world soon. I know this isn’t what you wanted and I'm so sorry it happened this way. I wanted to do it on our terms and when you were ready.” He sighed and dropped his hand.

The whole situation was obviously stressing him out and that was the last thing I wanted him to feel right now so I stood up and kissed his cheek gently.

“I suppose now is as good a time as ever to get this over with. I'll never be ready for something like that but I want to be with you and I know everything that comes with it. I can handle it.” I assured him and myself.

He smiled slightly and nodded, slipping his hand into mine before we walked off to meet his mother downstairs in one of the sitting rooms. My grip tightened on his when I saw her standing by the window looking absolutely beautiful despite the look of grief on her face as she turned to look at me.

“Mum… this is Charlie… My girlfriend.”

Shit...


	10. 10

I froze as she stared me down in silence for a few seconds too many, but then I finally gathered the guts to speak.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty, though I wish we had met under better circumstances.” I said politely. “I'm so sorry about your husband. My grandfather passed away a few years ago from the same thing and I know how hard it can be. I truly hope that he pulls through this for your family.”

“Thank you, Charlie. But please, call me Anne. There is no need for titles or anything, especially from someone who brings my son so much happiness. I can already tell he is more at ease with you here.” She said as she glanced at her son.

I blushed a little and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“What did you want to talk about, Mum?” Harry asked.

“Charlie, would you please excuse us for a moment?” She asked me.

“Yes, of course.” I nodded, giving Harry one last squeeze and a gentle kiss on the cheek to remind him that I was here for him before stepping out of the room with Louis.

“She’s not as scary as I thought she would be.” I said to him once we were out of earshot.

He chuckled and shook his head.

“No one in the royal family is scary, Charlie. They’re all good people.” He assured me.

“That would have been nice to know before I went in there you dick.” I said with a huff.

He laughed as I hit his arm and smiled widely which just annoyed me even more. As we stood outside he gave me a little bit of a rundown on everyone in the royal family. I knew the immediate family from what Harry told me and from what I already knew, but Louis described them in more detail for me and I could already tell that I was going to be best friends with Princess Gemma when I met her. 

It wasn’t long until Harry stepped out of the room and grabbed my hand, pulling me along before I could even say another word to Louis. I followed him, feeling confused about where we were going but it wasn’t until we stepped outside and into the gardens that he stopped.

“Harry, are you okay?” I asked him as I touched his arm gently.

“I don't have to be King.” He said after a moment of silence.

“What?” I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Well not anytime soon anyway. My mum told me she is going to take over for my father until I'm ready. Plus it's kind of customary for the Prince to be married before he takes the throne anyway. But don't worry. We won’t have to rush it. She's seen how much I've changed and she wants to give us a chance to be together as well without the stress of me being King.” He said with a smile.

"That's great, Haz. Though I know you would make a great king now if you had to." I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck before placing a soft kiss on his lips. 

"I know, but it's still a little bit of a relief. Especially now that I have you here and we can focus on getting you used to everything.... That is if you still want to stay. I'll understand if you start this and can't handle it. I would imagine it would be quite difficult for someone who hasn't been born into this life to handle it. I grew up dealing with all of it already so it's pretty much normal for cameras to be in my face and to have people watch my every move, but you haven't. Even if you just stay until this stuff with my dad blows over I would be grateful."

"You're too sweet for your own good... but thank you. It means a lot to me, too, that you're being so understanding about all of this. I mean it is a lot. The palace is huge and I still can't believe that you actually live here." I said as I turned to look at the huge palace behind us.

Harry chuckled softly and smiled as he kissed my head.

"It is a lot to get used to, but honestly I would take that ranch in the mountains over this place any day." 

"I'll have to agree with you on that one. I would rather have a place in the countryside where it's more private and there aren't tours going on in one side of the palace while I'm home."

"Yeah that does get a bit annoying... If we get married someday we can have our own place though. I mean we would only really have to be here to work if we chose to." 

I couldn't help but smile and feel a bit giddy when he mentioned marriage. Sure I had just met the guy eight months ago, but I had fallen head over heels in love with him. If I could make this whole royal thing work and he asked me sometime in the near future I would say yes without a second of hesitation.

Harry's POV

As I took Charlie on a tour of the palace I couldn't help but feel happy that she was here with me. The fact that she came here to be with me even though it scared her was amazing and I made it my mission to make sure she felt at home here.... Like she belonged. I wanted so badly for her to stay with me, but I still had to remind myself that she hadn't even gotten a glimpse of what this life would entail yet. 

"So how is your father doing?" She asked me as we made our way back to my bedroom.

"He's stable for now, but the doctors aren't sure if he'll even make it to the end of the week. Even if he does he's not going to be able to continue his duties as king. He'll be far too weak. So basically he either dies now or later, but either way it's pretty much inevitable." I said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Harry... I know exactly what its like. It was awful seeing my grandpa like that when he died. It just sucks because there's really nothing anyone can do. I think that was the worst part of it for me. I wanted to help so badly, but all I could do was just sit there and watch him die."

I nodded slightly and wrapped my arms around her waist as I held her close.

"I'm really glad you're here to help me through this. You're definitely making things a lot easier for me."

I looked down at her for a moment then brought my hands up to cup her cheeks before placing a soft kiss on her lips. Having her here put my mind at ease and with the stress of becoming King being off my shoulders for the time being I was definitely in much better shape than I was a couple days go when I first left LA.

I took her down to have some lunch, introducing her to Gemma who had decided to join us as well. The two hit it off almost immediately which I knew was bound to happen. They were so much alike and it was nice seeing them getting along so well already. After eating we rode to the hospital to visit my father who had finally woken up and was a little more lucid than he was the last time I was here. 

He was excited to finally meet this girl who had turned me around for the better and she was so sweet to him in return. I loved that she was so genuine and kind to everyone no matter who they were and despite the fact that she was meeting my father in a hospital room she acted like it was a normal meet the parents moment instead. She shared stories about how she grew up and my family told her a little more about my childhood as well. Gemma shared a little more than I would have liked, but seeing my family and the girl that I loved smiling and laughing was enough for me to let it go.

We ended up staying there most of the day until I saw how tired Charlie was getting. I'm sure the ten hour flight and time change was really catching up to her by now so I said goodbye to my father then took her back home. Unfortunately people had started to catch on that my mysterious girlfriend was in town so they were outside the palace gates trying to get photos of her. 

"George, take us to the country house please." I told the driver who nodded and drove off away from the mayhem.

I pulled out my phone to ask Niall to bring us some clothes then looked down at Charlie who had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I smiled softly and kissed her head, resting mine on hers until we arrived at the country house which was our little private getaway. 

"Wake up, love." I said softly as I gently woke her up.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking confused because she expected us to be at the palace.

"Our country home. It's about fifteen minutes from the city. No one will bother us here." I assured her as we stepped out and headed inside. 

I led her up to my usual bedroom, chuckling as she immediately rid herself of her shoes and pants before throwing herself onto the bed. I smiled then did the same, stripping down to my boxers before laying down beside her and covering her up with the blanket.

"I really like your family." She mumbled sleepily.

"Good. They like you, too." I smiled and placed a soft kiss on her head. "Get some sleep, love."

It didn't seem like I had to tell her twice because almost immediately after I spoke a soft snore left her lips. I watched her sleep for a little while as I gently played with her hair, feeling so relieved that she was here with me. I knew we still had a long way to go before she was ready to stay here and be a part of the royal family with me, but I hoped that she would decide to stay and not get overwhelmed by everything.

"I love you, Charlie... No matter what you'll always be my princess." I whispered softly to her before allowing sleep to take over.

The next morning I woke up before her so I went downstairs to make us some breakfast. The boys were already here and they knew to keep their distance when I had Charlie around. At least until she was up and dressed anyway. The last time they happened to walk in on us while she was topless and straddling me was the last time they ever got too close until they knew she was decent. She gave them quite the earful that day which was hilarious for me to witness. They seemed more terrified of her than I had ever seen them before. I chuckled at the memory and smiled to myself as I made her favorite pancakes with strawberries on them and a little bit of whipped cream. Thank god for the boys who picked up some food for us as well. As I was putting the finishing touches on I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and smiled, immediately smelling Charlie’s vanilla scented shampoo as she nuzzled into my back.

“Morning, my love.” I said as I turned around to wrap my arms around her sleepy figure.

“Morning.” She smiled softly and stood up on her tiptoes to meet my lips in a kiss.

I gently lift her up with my arms to get some of the strain off her feet, smiling softly into her lips as I enjoyed the sweet moment. This was definitely something that I could get used to.

“I made your favorite.” I said as I pulled away.

“I see that. It smells amazing and even though it's almost eleven I'll take it.” She giggled and ducked under my arm to grab the plate.

“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?” I asked.

“Yep.” She smiled sweetly.

As she walked away I slapped her bum, chuckling as she let out a squeak of surprise and jumped. She shot me the most adorable glare then sat down to eat. I smiled widely, following behind her with my own plate and sitting beside her at the table.

“Are we going to visit your father again today?” She asked after a moment.

“Yeah. If that’s alright with you.”

“Of course it is. You should be spending time with your family, Harry. I can wait.” 

I leaned over to kiss her cheek gently, loving that she was so understanding. She was exactly what I needed in my life right now and everything that I was missing. It was as if there was this gaping hole that was filled when she stepped into my life and I finally felt whole again.

After we ate I took her upstairs so we could shower together and it took a little longer than usual. Not because we were getting frisky or anything, but because I took the chance to take over washing her body for her while my lips left soft kisses all over her skin. If we weren’t going to see my parents I definitely would have used up our time doing other things, but for now this was enough for me. Just showing her how much I appreciated her.

When I finished she did the same to me and I closed my eyes, smiling softly as I felt her lips against my skin. She started off rubbing the loofa over my body and letting the water wash the soap away once it was clean. Her lips quickly replaced the soap and distracted me so I didn’t realize her hands had traveled down below my belly button until I felt her fingers brush along the sensitive skin. A loan moan let my lips and she giggled then kissed under my jaw.

“Another time.” She promised before stepping out of the shower.

“Charlie.” I groaned, hearing her giggles and feet rush across the floor as she left the bathroom. “Fucking tease.”

I followed her out and got ready to head out, but not before giving her a taste of her own medicine. I wrapped the towel around my waist then walked up behind her as she stood in front of the mirror in her bra and panties, placing my hands on her hips as my lips brushed over her exposed neck. 

“The things you do to me.” I mumble against her skin before placing a few kisses over the spots that I knew were more sensitive.

While she was distracted I moved one of my hands down to her inner thigh, slowly moving it up until my fingers brushed over her covered core. A gasp escaped her lips and her body jumped slightly from the sensation. I smirked then pulled away leaving her wanting more.

“Two can play at that game, love.”


	11. 11

Charlie’s POV

We spent most of the next few days at the hospital with his father and the immediate family. I met a few of Harry’s aunts and uncles as well when they came to visit and all of them were so sweet and accepting of me which took a huge weight off my shoulders. At first I was worried that none of them would like me and they would be stuck up royals, but they were such nice people who seemed to be happy that Harry had finally found someone he wanted to be with. 

The one thing I didn’t like was the media attention. Once they found out I was here visiting the sickly King they stalked out the hospital so badly that the police and royal guard had to come set up barriers to keep them out and give us space to get in and out of the hospital. I had yet to deal with them up close which terrified me, but I knew I would have to deal with it eventually. Especially since the King’s condition was getting worse. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he passed which meant a public funeral and coronation for the queen to take over for the time being.

Even though I was nervous about all the attention my focus remained on Harry who was struggling to deal with his father’s weakening state. He barely stayed in the room for long anymore when his father got into a coughing fit and I had to hold him and comfort him several times. At night he had nightmares which I had to soothe away from him until he was finally able to sleep. Lately he seemed to be turning to sex for a distraction, but I didn’t mind because if it gave him a little peace for a while then it was worth it.

Eventually the King was just transferred back home into the care of the palace doctor who would keep him comfortable while he passed in the comfort of his own home. They came to the country house for more privacy and I didn’t mind one bit because Harry was able to see more of his father. What surprised me was one night while we were visiting his room he asked to speak with me privately. Harry glanced at me and I nodded to let him know I would be alright on my own. He kissed his father on the head then left me alone with the older man who beckoned me closer. I did as he asked and moved to stand beside his bed, allowing him to grab onto my hand.

“I want to thank you for all that you’ve done for my son. Anne and I were worried that we had lost him forever when he started rebelling against us. It started with the drinking and then the tattoos… We began to lose hope until one day he called us to tell us about this girl he met while he was away. We heard happiness in his voice that we hadn’t heard in a long time and now that I can see you with him I can see why. You’ve brought my son back to me and I can never thank you enough. He’s going to be a wonderful man and a great King some day thanks to you… I know that this life may not be one that you choose to pursue but I must ask you of one thing… Just don’t leave him. You bring a light to his eyes that I’ve only seen in him when he was a boy seeing the world for the first time and I would hate for that to disappear… And even if you don’t see it yet I know that one day you’ll make a wonderful Queen as well. It may take a while for everyone else to see what you’re capable of, but when they do they’ll be glad you’re by his side.”

My eyes watered as he spoke to me and I couldn’t help but feel thankful to have met him before his illness took his life. He was a kind and wise man, whose opinion I valued greatly even though I had only met him a few weeks ago.

“I promise I’ll look after him. And thank you for telling me that. It was a pleasure to have met you.” I said honestly.

He smiled and brought his hand up to gently wipe a tear that fell down my cheek.

“You have a pure soul, my dear. Keep it that way.” He said softly and I nodded. “Could you tell my son to come back in please? I would like a word in private with him.”

“Of course.” I nodded and stood up, heading out to find Harry leaning against the wall waiting for me. “He wants to see you.”

“Are you okay? Why are you crying?” He frowned as he looked at me.

“I’m fine, Harry. Go talk to your dad. I’ll be waiting in our room.” I kissed his cheek then walked down the now familiar hallway to get to Harry’s room at the other end of the hall.

Harry returned a while later and stepped into the room quietly, sticking something in the box he usually kept his watch in then just stood there. I frowned and sat up in bed when I heard him sniffle.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked him.

“He’s gone, Charlie… He’s gone.” His voice broke as he finally looked up and allowed tears to fall down his cheeks.

My heart immediately broke and I opened my arms for him as he crawled into bed with me and let out a small sob. I laid back in bed and allowed him to lay on top of me as I held him close, giving him comfort as much as I could because that was really all I could do. Tears filled my own eyes at the thought of the sweet man taking his last breath and I felt like I had also lost someone close to me. Even though I had only been here a few weeks he felt like family already so this was hard for me as well.

I easily distracted myself by helping Harry grieve over the next couple days while the funeral preparations were made. The only time I left his side was so the seamstress could get my sizing for a dress for the funeral. It was ready by the time the day finally came and I slipped it on before walking over to help Harry with his tie. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and the tears he had cried over the past few days, matching his mood which kept him quiet and reserved. I straighten up his collar and suit then gently lift his chin to see new tears forming in his eyes. 

“We’ll get through this okay? I’m here.” I said softly as I stood up on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his forehead. 

I allowed my lips to linger a moment longer than normal before his hand grabbed onto mine and we stepped out to get into the cars that were waiting to take us to the funeral. The ceremony was beautiful and although I couldn’t be next to Harry as they walked the casket out to the plot at the cemetery I quickly found his side as soon as I was able and grabbed onto his hand. His grip tightened on mine as the priest said a few more words before they finally lowered it into the ground. I reached up to hold his bicep with my free hand, stepping closer to him to give him a little more comfort. I knew that everyone would be trying to get photos of us but I didn’t care at the moment. My only focus was getting Harry through this.

It took him days to recover and I was finally able to get him to smile. He was slowly getting back to himself and all I wanted was for him to be happy again. I knew the death of a parent was going to be hard for him so I didn’t rush him either. He was going to be dealing with this for a long while and the best I could do was be there for him until he didn’t need me anymore.

We laid in bed together after having dinner with his family and we were just relaxing until my phone rang and I saw my mom’s name flash across the screen. It was that moment that I realize I hadn’t even told them that I was going to London or that Harry was a Prince. I had been so caught up in helping him through this that I completely forgot about my family.

I bit my lip and looked over at Harry who was already asleep then I carefully got out of bed and walked over to the balcony before answering the phone. Almost immediately she started in on me about seeing my face all over the news and papers, attending the royal funeral with my prince boyfriend.

“Why didn’t you tell us? You need to come home.” She said.

“It wasn’t my place to tell. He just wanted to be a normal guy and I didn’t want you to think badly about him. I was going to tell you, but I just didn’t have a chance to. I've been trying to help him-”

“So you both just lie to us? This is a big deal, Charlie. Do you have any idea the kind of baggage that comes with being connected to royals? The threats? You could get hurt. What about your studies?”

“I don’t care! I don't care about any of that! I love him and I can't just leave him alone through all of this. I'm an adult and this is my choice. I put a transfer in for the college here in London and they haven’t finished processing it all yet but I'll figure it out okay?” I said as my voice broke.

Tears filled my eyes as I heard her sigh over the phone.

“Charlie, honey… are you sure you're okay?” She asked softly.

“I'm fine… just feeling a little homesick. I'll get over it.” I said as I wiped my eyes and sniffled.

This was always the worst for me. Being LA was pretty rough from time to time but my family was also just a short flight away if I wanted to see them. Now it felt like an eternity.

“Why don't you come home for a few days?” She suggested.

“I can't just leave him. He needs me.” I said quietly.

“You won't leave me. I'll go with you.”

I looked up to see Harry watching me from the doorway and I immediately felt guilty about breaking down like this about missing my family when he just lost someone in his.

“Harry…” I started, but he cut me off and took my phone from me.

“I'll bring her back tomorrow, Mrs.Gray. Would you be able to pick us up?” He asked as he reached up to gently wipe my tears.

I leaned into his touch then stepped forwards and hugged him as he spoke to my mother for a few more minutes to sort out some details. When he finished he placed a kiss on my head and held me close.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were feeling homesick?” He asked.

“You were already dealing with so much… I didn’t want to stress you out even more by acting like a big baby who misses her mom.” I said.

“Hey, don't you ever be afraid to tell me if you're feeling upset. Especially if you miss your family. You flew across the world for me, Charlie. I would never want to keep you from your family when I know they mean so much to you.” He assured me as he cupped my cheeks and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

I sniffled and nodded, closing my eyes as I allowed his touch to calm me. It had always been hard for me to admit when I was feeling upset and I always tried to deal with things on my own, which I should know never worked by now. We stood there for a long moment until Harry finally brought me back inside and started setting things up for us to leave first thing in the morning. 

I watched him call around and get everything ready, but the only thing that was on my mind was the fact that I wasn’t so sure I could do this. Sure, I had been here a few weeks already, but if I get this worked up over such a short time then how am I supposed to handle being here permanently? There would be times when Harry would be too busy to fly home with me and I knew that no matter what I would always be missing him or my family if I were away from either of them. There was no way for me to win.


	12. 12

Harry’s POV

Charlie slept the whole plane ride which I was thankful for because I knew she didn’t sleep well last night and she woke up this morning feeling nauseous, which I knew usually happened when she didn’t get enough sleep. I felt awful that I didn’t see the signs before, even when they were so blatantly obvious. She hadn’t been smiling as big as she used to the past few days and I had noticed dark circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep. She had been so focused on me and keeping me happy that she forgot to take care of herself. My heart broke at the thought and I could only imagine how difficult it would be for her if she actually stayed in London with me. She would be miserable.

When we landed later that afternoon in Colorado time her mother was there to pick us up at the airport and I watched as Charlie immediately teared up and ran over to hug her. Her family meant everything to her. Was I really just going to sit back and let her sacrifice her time with them for me?

I stayed quiet as I walked up to them and the last thing I expected was to be pulled in for a hug by her mother. I expected them to hate me for not telling them the truth and for causing their daughter to feel like this, but just like Charlie they were kind people who were able to look past all that.

I sat in the back listening to Charlie speak to her mother about London and how nice my family was. She truly did love them just as much as her own and it only made me feel even worse. How could I just take this wonderful girl’s life and turn it upside down? To selfishly ask her to leave the place that brought her peace and comfort just so I didn’t feel so alone anymore... 

As we arrived at the ranch house her father and brothers were waiting to greet her and as I expected the three of them were a little less forgiving towards me. They gave me cold stares that shook me to my core and I was honestly surprised that they even let me inside. Thankfully they focused a little more on Charlie for a few minutes until she went into the kitchen to make dinner with her mother which left me alone with the three of them in the living room.

“I'm sorry that I wasn’t honest with you before… I just… I knew that I didn’t have the best reputation before I came here and I didn’t want any of you to think that was me… because it wasn’t. That was a selfish child who threw a tantrum because he didn’t get what he wanted and that’s not the man I am now… The man that Charlie made me into.”

Matt was the first to speak as he left the room then came back and handed me a wine cooler that he had gotten from the fridge. I gratefully took it and had a drink to calm my nerves.

“Listen… I'm not happy that you lied to us. That was definitely a dick move… especially since you had Charlie lie to us as well… but the thing is that you’ve done nothing but make my little sister happy. I've never seen her as happy as she was the last time you were here and it's all we’ve ever wanted for her.” He said.

“I agree. I'm well aware of how you were before and I knew I recognized you from somewhere, but you brought her home when she needed it. Mom told us how she was crying over the phone and that you made sure she got to come home. You put her before yourself.” Jensen added.

Her father, Jack, nodded in agreement.

“You're a good man, son. You'll do right by her.”

“Thank you… but I'm honestly not sure about that anymore…” I said quietly as I looked down at the bottle in my hand.

Before they could question things Charlie came in to tell everyone it was time to eat so we all went to the table to eat. They gave their condolences about my father and I thanked them, mostly letting Charlie talk and catch up with her family. I barely touched my food as I thought about how difficult it was going to be for her to transition over to London which was so far away from her family. This was just the tip of the iceberg and I knew that I made a mistake by letting it get this far.

Later that night I watched her sleep beside me, seeing her more at ease than I had seen her in the past few weeks. As much as I wanted to be with her I knew that she would be better off staying. Hell she would be better off with Dylan. He could give her a normal life close to her family and she wouldn’t have to worry about what the world thinks of her or about big events or political things. She was far too fragile to be a part of my life and she deserved better.

I gently brushed some hair from her face then placed a soft kiss on her forehead before carefully getting out of bed. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, writing a letter to her for her to find when she woke up so she would hopefully understand. My bags were already packed so I picked them up and took one last glance at her sleeping figure, feeling a lump form in my throat. Before I could allow myself to stay I went downstairs and set my bags on the porch, pulling out my phone so I could call for someone to come give me a ride to the airport.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

I turned to see Jack sitting there in his hand made chair watching me. I bit my lip gently and shook my head.

“I want to be with her more than anything… but I know my life is hard and I know it'll be so much harder for her. She thinks too much of others and I'm scared that being with me in London will hurt her. It's stressful even for me… I can’t imagine what it would do to her.” I said.

“Leaving her will hurt her much worse than being with you ever could…” He said softly as he stood up, walking over to me as I felt my bottom lip quiver.

“Will you tell her I'm sorry?” I asked him as my voice broke.

He sighed and pulled me into a tight hug which I immediately returned. It was nice to have some sort of father figure to comfort me, but I had to remind myself that this was for the best.

“I'll give you a ride.” He said as he patted my back then started walking towards his truck.

I silently followed and the two of us stayed silent the whole drive to the airport, but it wasn’t until we pulled up to the terminal where the boys were waiting for me that he finally spoke up.

“Once you step out that door you might not get her back…”

I looked over at him, unsure of what to do. 

Charlie’s POV

It was cold when I woke up and I quickly realized it was because the space beside me that was usually occupied by a warm body was now empty apart from a letter that had my name neatly written on it. I sat up and grabbed it, feeling my heart rate picking up as I opened it up to read it. My eyes filled with tears as I read each word and with every line my heart broke a little more.

-Charlie,

I know you'll probably hate me for this, but that’s a risk I'm willing to take. I know you'll give up anything for me… even the chance to be close to your family… and that’s why I have to let you go. They mean everything to you and you deserve to be with someone who can give up everything for you as well because I can't. I can't just give up being a royal or leave the country to be a normal man with you as my beautiful wife. You would be the only one with the true sacrifice and I couldn’t live with myself if I allowed you to make it.

I love you more than anything in this entire world and I will keep loving you until my last breath. You are everything to me and I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me for this.

Forever yours, Harry-

I heard a truck pull into the driveway and I saw my father get out alone and I knew right then what he did. I rushed downstairs and walked up to him, hitting him as much as I could.

“How could you just let him go?! Why did you take him away from me?!” I cried, hitting his chest until I finally just broke down crying and leaned into his arms.

He held me tightly as I sobbed, feeling like my whole world just came crashing down. He left me… He actually left me. He thought he was making the right choice by protecting me, but I felt worse than I ever had in my entire life. I felt like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest and there was nothing I could do about it.

“I'm sorry, honey. I tried to get him to stay but he made his choice.” He said and it only made the ache grow even stronger.

I cried for what felt like hours and although I had my family around to comfort me it wasn’t the same. Not even they could give me the warmth and comfort Harry gave to me. I probably should have gone back to LA or at least tried to run after Harry but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to leave the house and I could barely keep any food down the first two days without throwing it up. It was almost three weeks later when my mom finally caught on to what was going on and recognized the symptoms.

I had gotten my appetite back, but I still felt sick in the mornings or around certain foods. Not to mention the fact that I was an emotional mess and cried myself to sleep every night wishing Harry were still here. She had been watching me for a few days until she finally spoke up and made me some tea for my upset stomach one morning.

“When was the last time you had your period?” She asked.

“I don't know.” I sighed, too emotional exhausted to think about it. “Why does it matter?”

“I think you might be pregnant.”

I choked on the tea I was just about to swallow and coughed a bit as I looked up at her with wide eyes.

“What?”

“Don't panic, honey. It might not be a pregnancy thing but I really think we should go to the hospital and check it out.”

“I can't just go there and say hey I might be pregnant with the Prince of England’s baby. Could you check it out please? The media has been stalking us for weeks, Mom. They would be all over that and we can't really trust anyone.”

“You can trust me. You forget this is what your mother does for a living.” She laughed softly. “Finish your tea. I'll check it out myself.”

I nodded as she left to get ready, feeling nervous as I looked down at my stomach. If it was true then do I tell him?

Harry’s POV

It's been three months. 

Three months since I left the love of my life and there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t regret it. I should have listened to her father when he gave me a chance to stay in the truck, but I was stupid and let my own fears and worries get in the way. I sighed deeply as I ran my hands through my hair, trying to focus on the paperwork I needed to get done but I just couldn’t think straight. Not when the woman who grounded me was thousands of miles away.

A knock on the door broke me from my thoughts and I rubbed my eyes as I called for whoever it was to come in.

“Harry, you have a visitor.” Louis said.

“Not now, Louis.” I sighed.

“Harry, it's Charlie.”

My head snapped up when he said her name and in a second I was out of my chair and running down the halls to my bedroom where Louis said she was waiting. I opened the door and my breath caught in my throat when she turned to look at me, looking beautiful as ever. She had cut her hair since I last saw her but it suited her. I slowly walked over to her until we were within arms reach.

“Charlie…” I breathed. “What are you… I…”

She held her hand up to stop me and quietly reached over to grab my hand. I watched her in confusion until she placed it on her stomach so I could feel the bump that she was hiding under the oversized sweater she was wearing. My eyes widened as I looked up at her watery eyes.

“I'm pregnant, Harry.” She finally spoke.

“I… How?”

I was completely dumbfounded as I brought my other hand up to place it on the small bump, in complete awe over the feeling of it. 

This was our child.

“That night you got the call about your dad… I had stayed up all night and I was too upset about you leaving that I forgot to take my birth control pill. I haven't really taken them since then actually. I'm so sorry, Harry. I was so worried about you that I wasn’t thinking about what could happen.”

I shook my head as she started to tear up and I quickly brought my hands up to her cheeks to wipe her eyes.

“Don't be sorry. This is amazing, Charlie. This is our baby in there.” I said as I teared up and started to smile a bit. “If anyone should be sorry it's me. I shouldn’t have left you. I thought I was protecting you, but I took away your choice and I've been fucking miserable without you. I'm so sor-”

Her lips cut me off as they crashed onto mine and I wrapped my arms around her waist, kissing her deeply as I held her close to me. I could taste the saltiness of her tears on her lips but I could care less. She was here and I was overjoyed that she was carrying our baby. I loved kids and I had always imagined having a big family with her some day.

“I love you so much.” I whispered as I held her close to me.

“I love you, too, Harry… and although I'm still pissed at you for leaving… I choose you. I've always chosen you. I want to be here with you.”

“What about your family?” I asked her with a frown.

“They're all here actually. I told them they could tag along on that tour of London you promised me ages ago.”

I chuckled and smiled as I gave her another kiss. I knew that this would cause problems later on because a royal was having a baby out of wedlock, but for the moment I couldn’t care less.


	13. 13

Harry’s POV

I followed Charlie down to the main sitting room to find Charlie’s family already getting settled in and meeting my family. Our mums were talking and seemed to be enjoying themselves while Gemma stood over by her brothers, little Josie, and Matt’s wife. I felt a guilty as I stepped over to Charlie’s father.

“Sir, I just want to say I’m sorry. I made a stupid mistake getting on that plane and just like you said I regretted it the moment it happened. I know I have a lot to make up for when it comes to Charlie, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it.” I assured him.

“Harry, for the love of god just call me Jack. You’re family now.” He said.

I smiled as as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“But you’re right. You do have to make up for it. Charlie will make sure of that.” He said.

I chuckled and nodded.

“I know she will.”

I looked over to see Charlie happily talking to Gemma as her hand subconsciously rested on her stomach. She already looked so beautiful as a mother to be and I knew that as her stomach grew and her confidence faded she would look even more beautiful. I would definitely be damn sure to remind her every single day.

“Mum… Gemma… Charlie actually came with some news.” I said, catching their attention.

“Auntie Charlie has a baby in her tummy!” Josie exclaimed excitedly before I could say anything.

I expected at least for my mother to be angry with me for having a child before marrying, but a wide smile formed on her face as she gasped and immediately went over to hug her.

“Oh my goodness. This is wonderful. How far along are you?” She asked Charlie.

“Four months.” Charlie smiled.

“Almost time to find out the gender. How exciting. You know I’ve been asking my kids for grandbabies for ages and now I finally get to have one.”

Gemma and I rolled our eyes.

“Well I’m excited for you. Congratulations, Charlie.” Gemma said as she gave Charlie a hug as well.

Everyone got to know each other and we had a nice dinner together in the dining hall before heading off to get some rest. I knew everyone else would be jet lagged, especially Charlie who had been dozing off during dinner with her head on my shoulder while everyone else talked. I took her up to bed and smiled as she took off her leggings and sweater to give me a full view of her belly. I could definitely tell she had a baby in there now and I felt a swell of happiness at the sight. I walked over as she pulled one of my sweaters on then laid down in bed. I stripped down to my boxers then crawled over until I was hovering above her, pushing her shirt up to reveal her belly. My lips pressed down to the swollen skin and I smiled as I felt her fingers run through my hair.

“Hi, baby. I’m your daddy. I know I was gone for a while, but I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere. I already love you so much.” I spoke softly to our unborn child and looked up at Charlie who was smiling down at me. “And I love your beautiful, mummy, too. Daddy was a big dummy for leaving her, but he won’t make that mistake again.”

“You better not or I’ll run you down.” Charlie said.

I laughed and moved up to kiss her lips gently as I held my weight above her so I didn’t squish her or the baby. The kiss deepened and before I knew it Charlie had me on my back and was straddling me as she took off her shirt. I bit my lip as I reached up to grab onto her breasts while she rolled her hips against mine.

“These definitely got bigger.” I said.

She pushed my hands away and pouted.

“And they’re off limits. They’re sensitive now.” She said.

I chuckled and nodded.

“Alright, fine. Boobs are off limits.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled as she leaned down and met my lips with hers. Of course I was a little more careful with her this time around, but it still felt just as amazing as any other time. We relaxed afterwards and I hummed softly to her until she fell asleep which didn’t take much time at all. I was so happy that she came back to me and that we were going to be a family, but I did have one more thing to do before we could properly be a family.

I woke up before she did the next morning and right away I went to find her father, knowing that he was the one who would make or break my next move. His approval meant the world to me and I hoped he would give it to me.

“Jack? Can I ask you something?”

Charlie’s POV

I woke up the next morning and felt a moment of panic when I found the bed empty, but I was relieved to see a note on his pillow telling me to come down for breakfast when I woke up. I got myself dressed, once again wearing clothes that hid my baby bump as I headed down to the dining hall to find Harry standing by the rest of my family who were finishing up their food.

“Morning.” He smiled when he saw me walk over.

“Morning.” I said as I gave him a kiss then rubbed my stomach gently now that the nervous feeling was fading away. It did give me a little anxiety thinking about him leaving me again, especially now that I was going to be a mother. I definitely wasn’t going to be able to do this on my own.

“Sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. I wanted to make sure your family got around okay and I didn’t want to wake you… Here, sit down and I’ll have them bring your food out.” 

He pulled a chair out for me and I sat down, smiling softly as he kissed my cheek before heading off to the kitchen and returning with two plates of food. One for me and one for him. He sat down beside me and I started to eat, finally feeling satisfied after a plate and a half. 

“So, your family agreed that today would be a nice day to go out and tour London if you’re interested.” Harry said as he patiently waited by my side even though everyone else had left to explore the palace.

“Yeah, that sounds nice. But won’t people be all over us if they catch the two of us out together?” I asked.

“I’ll wear my street clothes. People usually don’t notice me when I wear them, and no one knows what your family looks like so I think we can get away with it. If anything happens there will be security with all of us at all times so they can get us out right away. Of course you, Josie, and Sara will be the first to go since you’re pregnant and Josie and her mum are the next most vulnerable.” He assured me.

I nodded and had my last bite of food.

“This makes me feel so fat. I literally ate two helpings of everything.” I pouted.

“You’re eating for two, Charlie. It’s normal.” He chuckled and kissed my cheek before handing the plate over to one of the kitchen workers. “Come on, let’s go get everyone so we can head out.”

I took his hand and smiled softly as I followed him through the palace until we had tracked everyone down and got them ready to go. Everyone piled into the SUVs that the royal guard were going to drive us around in and they took us to all of the best stops in London. We saw the London Eye, which my weak pregnant stomach couldn’t handle so Harry and I had to get off before we got a quarter of the way up. I didn’t mind waiting though. My family seemed to enjoy it and I was fine with being safe on the ground with Harry. He took us to see Big Ben, around the best parts of the city. 

We ate at a fantastic restaurant and at the end when it was almost time for the sun to start setting he took us to The Hill Garden which I had been dying to see since I first read about it. It was just as beautiful as I had imagined it to be, if not more, and I looked around in awe of everything. The old structures and the flowers that scattered the property. There were ponds and a few fountains as well. He took me to a particular spot where a whole outdoor path was covered by an archway of flowers that overlooked the rest of the gardens at the end of the path. I stood there and smiled as I enjoyed the view for a moment until Harry cleared his throat. When I turned to look at him he seemed a bit nervous and grabbed my hands.

“I’ve been planning this for months, you know, and I don’t know why I didn’t bring you here sooner, but it's better late than never I suppose. The first time I met you it reminded me of this place. It's the only place in London that has ever brought me peace and when I met you it was like you were the human form of this place. Just beautiful and peaceful. You’ve given me strength then I had none and taught me to enjoy my life to the fullest in the right way. You brought me back from a dark place that I never thought I would escape from and taught me how to love unconditionally again. I’ve thought of this moment since the first time I kissed you and now that we’re about to start a family I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I love you so much, Charlie. Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”

I gasped as he got down on one knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. My eyes filled with tears and I immediately nodded my head quickly. 

“Yes. A thousand times yes.” I laughed and let him slide the ring on my finger before I pulled him up to give him a kiss.

Our families came out from their hiding places and everyone came over to congratulate us. I felt so happy and I was so glad that I had decided to come tell him about the pregnancy. I almost didn’t, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of being without him any longer. I needed him in my life and now this baby would have both parents to love and support him or her. 

“It's about damn time that you two got hitched.” Matt said which made me laugh.

I shook my hand head and looked down at the ring that was on my finger as I felt Harry wrap his arms around me from behind.

“It was my grandmother's. She gave it to me before she died and told me to save it for a girl who could kick my ass into shape.”He chuckled.

“Well that's definitely me then.” I joked with a soft laugh. “It's beautiful, Harry.”

I turned around in his arms and smiled softly, gently kissing his lips. I was glad that he did it while my family was still in town because it meant a lot that they could be here. Although I was still upset that he left me a few months ago I knew that he thought he was doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t the right thing for us. Sure, I was still nervous as hell about being part of the royal family, but I would do anything if it meant getting to stay with this amazing man who made me so happy.

We eventually went home and got some rest because I knew that the next day would be stressful. It was the day that I would finally go out in public with Harry and we would announce our engagement and the pregnancy. When I woke up people were all over the palace getting things ready for when we stepped out onto the front steps to take photos. Security was tighter and there was someone to help me pick something out that was royal appropriate attire. I ended up just going with a simple light blue dress that went down to my knees and covered my shoulders. I paired it with some flats because heels were my worst nightmare and the last thing I needed was to fall and hurt the baby.

I stood in front of the mirror once they were finished doing my hair and makeup and I almost didn’t recognize myself. I looked so different, but for the first time I realized that I could look the part. I just hoped that everyone would accept me, especially since having a baby out of wedlock for a royal was a big no no around here.

I put my hands on my stomach that the dress clearly showed and bit my lip, feeling my stomach churn a little from the nerves. Just as Harry walked in to get me I rushed to the bathroom and emptied my stomach, feeling him pull my hair back a moment later until I was finished.

“Are you okay? Maybe we shouldn’t do this today.” He frowned.

“No. I'm fine. I'm just nervous and I want to get this over with. The last thing I want is to wait and have people freak out later in the pregnancy when I'll be more vulnerable and not able to move as quickly.” I told him.

He sighed softly and nodded, kissing my head gently before helping me up so I could wash my mouth. I touched up my lipstick then grabbed his hand as we went out to the front doors. People filled the space inside the gates leading up to the door and I took a few deep breaths before we finally stepped out together.

Cameras flashed the moment they saw us and I smiled and waved like I was told to do, laughing softly when I shifted to face Harry and I heard most of them scream excitedly when they saw the baby bump. He smiled down at me then kissed my cheek before stepping up to the podium where the microphone was.

“Thank you all for coming today. I would like to properly introduce you to the love of my life, my future bride, and as you can see the mother of my child.”

I blushed when I heard more cheers and I smiled, feeling much better about it now because the people seemed to like me. Though I did see one couple in particular who were just standing there staring at me. Chills ran down my spine and I immediately stepped closer to Harry, grabbing onto the back of his suit jacket. He glanced at me to make sure I was okay and I forced a smile so he relaxed and continued to speak.

When I looked back in the direction of the couple they were gone, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling I had that something was going to happen…


	14. 14

Harry’s POV

For the last couple weeks I've been slowly easing Charlie into the royal lifestyle. After her family left a few days after I introduced her to the world I started taking her to events like fundraisers and an opening to a new children’s hospital that my family funded. That day in particular she was filled with such joy and I couldn’t help but feel like she fit right in.

After the opening we had stopped to visit some of the kids that would be transferred there from the main hospital and she was so good with all of them. The wide smile never left her face and she took the time to talk to each one about what they liked to do. She adored kids and it made me feel so happy to think of her playing with our child in the future. She was going to be an amazing mother and I couldn’t be happier.

We started planning the wedding already, though I knew she wanted to wait until after she had the baby so her “giant watermelon belly” didn’t make her look fat. Of course I had assured her that she didn’t look fat at all, but I understood why she wanted to wait since it was going to be televised all over the world. When I told her that I could tell she wasn’t too keen on the idea, but I already planned a little surprise for her when the time came. We may be getting married in the church here in London no matter what, but before that I was going to fly her back home so we could have the mountain wedding she always wanted. It would feel more like home to her and that was all I wanted. I was also excited to give her her wedding gift from me which was the house close to her parent’s place that she told me she had always wanted. I bought it and planned on giving it to her so we could go there on vacations and whatnot.

Eventually it came time to find out the gender of the baby and I couldn’t be more excited. My leg was bouncing as I sat beside her at the hospital as I impatiently waited for the doctor to come back to do the ultrasound since she had already done the usual check up on Charlie.

“Harry, calm down.” Charlie giggled as she put her hand on my leg to hold it still.

“I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'm too excited.” I smiled at her and leaned over to give her a kiss just as the doctor walked in.

Charlie had met Dr. Montgomery already because she had worked with her mother before moving here to London and I trusted her mother’s judgement on the best doctor for us. Plus it was nice to see Charlie more at ease around a familiar face rather than letting someone she doesn’t know work with her through the pregnancy.

“Alright. Are you ready to find out the sex of your baby?” She asked us.

“Hell yeah.” I said which made them both laugh.

Charlie rolled her eyes playfully and laid back on the bed like she had done before, pulling her shirt up to reveal her belly which had grown in the past month. She jumped slightly as the gel hit her skin and I looked at her worriedly.

“I'm fine. It's just cold.” She assured me and I nodded, relaxing now that I knew it wasn’t hurting her.

I grab her hand and place a kiss on her knuckles, watching closely as the doctor used the wand to search around her belly until she finally found the baby. I gasped softly when I finally got to see our child, feeling my eyes water as the doctor pointed things out to us like the baby’s toes and heartbeat. I was full on crying when I heard the heartbeat for the first time and I looked over at Charlie who was watching me and tearing up as well. She pulled her hand from mine to cup my cheek, wiping away the tears with her thumb before turning back to the screen.

“Okay. The moment of truth. It looks like you're going to have a baby girl. Congratulations.” Dr. Montgomery smiled.

I let out a small laugh and smiled widely, leaning down to give Charlie a long kiss.

“A little princess.” I said happily, giving her a few more kisses before I sat back and wiped my eyes with my shirt.

“Awe, Haz.” She cooed, seeing that I was still crying because I was so happy. “You’re such a sap.”

“Shut up.” I laughed softly and sniffled a bit before giving her another kiss.

We got our pictures from the ultrasound to show our families and got ready to go. Niall met us at the door to the room we were in and walked us down to the exit they had cleared out for our car. I was talking to Liam about the baby as we walked over so I didn’t notice when a man rushed up behind us and grabbed onto Charlie until I felt her jerk my arm back as she was stopped herself.

“Your baby is a disgrace!” He said, starting to continue on but before he could say anything else I shoved him away from Charlie.

Niall and Liam quickly ran after the man who ran away from them while I hurried Charlie to the car and jumped in after her before the car took off.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” I asked her in a rush as I checked her over for injuries, seeing a bruise already forming on her forearm from how tightly he was holding her.

She whimpered as I touched it and I immediately pulled my hand away, looking up as she let out a small sob. She looked so scared and I immediately felt guilty.

“I'm so sorry, baby. Come here.”

I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, trying my best to comfort her as we made our way back out to the country house where my mother and Gemma were waiting to hear the baby news. When they saw the looks on our faces they immediately knew something was wrong.

“Is the baby okay?” Anne asked.

“The baby is fine, Mum. Some asshole just grabbed Charlie at the hospital.” I said as I helped her sit down on the couch.

She was still pretty shaken up and kept her hands on her belly as if to protect our baby. One of the maids brought her some water to drink and I felt awful seeing her hands trembling so much that she could barely hold the glass.

“I saw him before…” She finally spoke. “He was there when we announced everything. There was a woman with him and they were just staring at me.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything?” I frowned.

“Because I moved closer to you because I was freaked out and when I looked back at them they were gone.” She sniffled.

I sighed deeply and and ran my hand through my hair, looking over at the doorway as Niall and Liam walked in. They shook their heads and I let out a frustrated yell which made Charlie jump. 

“Fuck! You have to find him and make sure someone throws his ass in jail.” I ordered them.

They nodded and left the room again. I turned back to Charlie as my mum comforted her, letting out a deep breath to calm myself before I sat down with her.

“Well on the up side the baby is a girl.” Charlie said with a weak smile.

“That’s wonderful, honey.” Anne smiled softly and kissed her head.

I grabbed onto her hand and comforted her the best I could so she would stay calm for the baby’s sake. We finally managed to get her relaxed enough to eat something later that day and after that Charlie just went up to bed to lie down while I spoke with the boys. They had managed to track down where he lived but there was no sign of him so far and they had contacted the city police to help keep an eye out.

“We’ll have to have more security when we go out from now on. I don't want anyone getting less than six feet from Charlie.” I told them.

They nodded and left to make the arrangements while I went up to the bedroom to find Charlie sitting cross legged on the bed in her shorts and one of my tees with her hands on her belly. She looked up at me with the first smile I've seen on her face since we left the hospital.

“Come here.” She said as she held her hand out to me.

I walked over and sat next to her on the bed, allowing her to take my hand and place it on her belly. I didn’t understand what was going on until I felt a tiny kick against my palm.

“Woah.” I jumped and jerked my hand back which made her giggle. “Is that?”

She nodded then grabbed my hand and once more placed it back on her stomach and this time I didn’t pull away when the baby kicked. A wide smile formed on my lips as I felt our baby girl moving around and kicking in her mother’s stomach. It was odd but also very exciting.

“Wow.” I whispered, feeling my eyes water again.

“You're such a crybaby.” Charlie teased as she brought her hands up to wipe my cheeks. “It’s sweet though.”

“I love you… I'm sorry about today. I should have been paying attention.” I sighed.

“None of us expected it to happen, Harry, but now we will for next time. Don't apologize. We have more important things to think about right now… like baby names.” 

I smiled as she mentioned baby names and I laid down in bed with her as we gave our ideas. Despite what happened today we ended it on a happy note and felt much more relaxed as we fell asleep together.

~.:o:.~

“You don't have to do this you know.” I told Charlie as I let her straighten up my tie.

“Yes, I do. This is your mother’s coronation, Harry. I can't just hide in the house for the rest of my life.” She said as she finished smoothing down my suit before pecking my lips.

It had been a couple months since the incident and so far things have been quiet. The police were closing in on the psycho man so it wouldn’t be long until he was captured and arrested for assaulting her. She had put on such a brave face but I couldn’t help but feel nervous about today. There would be so many people which meant that it would be harder to keep an eye out for the man or anyone who would want to hurt her. We had pretty much been keeping her inside since then and I was nervous about her being out in public again, especially now that the baby was due in just a month and a half.

“Rosie and I will be just fine, Harry.” She assured me.

I couldn’t help but smile when she said the name we picked out for our baby girl. Rosalie Marie. Or Rosie for short as we have been calling her. It already suited her and I couldn’t wait to meet her.

“If you're sure… Just know that if you feel like you have to leave you can just tell me and we’ll go.” I told her.

She nodded and I cupped her cheeks, leaning down to kiss her softly.

“I love you.” I murmured against her smiling lips.

“I love you, too. Now come on or we’ll be late.” She ordered as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

I chuckled and followed her out to the waiting car that was going to take us to the church where my mother would be crowned as Queen once more, but obviously in a higher title than when she married my father. Now she wasn’t the bride of the King who married into the title. She was going to be the leader of the monarchy which was a whole other ceremony. We stepped inside and took our places as the ceremony began. I had to stand up beside my mum with Gemma, but we allowed Charlie to sit in the front row with the boys since standing for long periods of time was a struggle for her this late in the pregnancy.

I shot her a wink as she looked at me and smiled as she laughed softly then looked away before she started a full on giggle fit. That was pretty much my goal through the whole thing and I could tell she was struggling so I finally stopped as my mother was crowned which ended the ceremony. We followed her out so we could ride the carriages down the road a bit for a parade. My mother went first and then it was our turn to get in the second one with Gemma. We waved and did our thing until we finally came to a stop at the end. I stepped down and helped Gemma off since she was closest then turned to do the same for Charlie, but as I reached for her hand I heard a sudden commotion coming from the crowd.

We both looked back from where we came and saw the police tackle the man from the hospital into the pavement. There was a sense of relief that washed over me but it quickly faded when I heard a loud bang followed by gasps from the crowd and a few screams. It all seemed to happen in slow motion as I turned to see Charlie holding her stomach as her cream colored dress began soaking up blood from the wound she was holding on her stomach. My heart stopped and I saw another person being grabbed out of the corner of my eye, but my focus was on Charlie. Her skin paled immediately and as she started falling I quickly reached out to grab her, carefully lowering her to the ground as I yelled for the guards to call for an ambulance.

I looked down at Charlie as the royal guard surrounded us for protection, hearing the screams from the crowd fading out into the background as I stared down at my bleeding fiance. My eyes filled with tears as I quickly took off my jacket and placed it under her head for a pillow.

“H Harry.” She whimpered, watery eyes wide and afraid as she gripped onto my shirt with her blood covered hand. “Harry, the baby. She's not moving. I can't feel her moving.”

She was panicking just like I was and I kept my trembling hand pressed firmly onto the wound in hopes of stopping the blood flow.

“Shh. She’s going to be fine. You're both going to be fine.” I said as my voice broke. “Stay awake for me, baby. They're almost here.”

I fought to keep her awake as the seconds felt like hours as they passed by. I heard the sirens in the distance and looked up to see the ambulance coming down the street.

“The ambulance is here, love. You'll be fi- Charlie?” I looked down to see her eyes closed and immediately panicked. “Charlie! Baby wake up! Please wake up.”

I let out a sob as I cupped her cheek and held her until Louis had to pull me off so the paramedics could take her. They wouldn’t let me ride with because they seemed worried about her condition which freaked me out even more. Louis got me to a waiting car which sped off after them and the whole time I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My body worked on autopilot as I rushed into the hospital. Since I wasn’t allowed back while she was in surgery I went to the bathroom and furiously scrubbed the blood off my hands then ripped the bloody shirt from my body. I let out a scream and hit the wall to let some of my frustration out before finally just dropping to the floor and sobbing.

I couldn’t lose my girls...


	15. 15

Harry's POV

When I finally stepped out of the bathroom my mother and sister were already in a private room waiting to hear anything back from the doctor. I looked at my mother who immediately stood up to hug me and I clung to her as fresh tears fell down my cheeks.

"I didn't see the shooter... I should have stopped them... I should have protected them." I whimpered.

"Honey, there was nothing you could have done. Everyone was so focused on the man who jumped out as a distraction that no one expected the second person to have a gun. It wasn't your fault. No one could have stopped this from happening and if I've learned anything about Charlie in the time that I've known her it's that she's a fighter who doesn't quit. She'll do anything for you and your child and that means holding onto be here for you both." My mum assured me, but I couldn't help but feel guilty.

I should have made her stay like I wanted her to. I had to be there, but she didn't. Hell I should have never talked to her in the first place when I first went to LA, but we were both so far past leaving each other now. As selfish as it was I was too damn in love with her to leave her again. I just hoped that this time she didn't leave me.

I pulled back as my phone started to ring and I sighed deeply when I saw her father's name flash across the screen. I knew they were watching from home and that they would be calling, but I hoped it wouldn't be so soon. I stepped out into the hallway and ran my fingers through my hair as I answered the phone, being greeted by his questions about her condition which I'm sure was the doctor side of him coming out.

"I don't know what's going on. They just took her and they haven't let me see her yet." I said as my voice broke slightly. "Fuck, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault..."

He sighed over the phone before speaking again.

"It's not your fault, Harry. We're getting on the first plane out so I won't be able to get ahold of you for a while. I'll call you as soon as we land." He told me.

"Alright. I'll make sure someone is there to pick you up. I'll let you know when I hear anything." I assured him before we hung up the phone.

I stepped back into the waiting room and we sat there for a good five hours before Dr. Montgomery finally came in. I immediately stood up and stepped closer to her.

"Are they okay?" I asked.

"I have some good news and bad news. Good news is that your baby alive and stable. Bad news is that she's a month and a half too soon which means she's not fully developed yet and she may have problems with breathing later on. Asthma issues and things like that. Nothing too major. She will have to be in the incubator for a while yet though until her body develops enough to withstand working on it's own. As for Charlie... I'm not the one who was focused on her. I delivered your baby then left her with one of my colleagues, but I can check in to see how she's doing if you like." She explained.

I felt so relieved to hear that Rosie was okay and I sniffled a bit, nodding when she asked if I wanted her to check on Charlie.

"Can... Can I see Rosie?" I asked.

"Of course. I'll drop you off before I go check on Charlie." She said.

I nodded then followed her to the NICU where they were keeping Rosie, biting my lip when she took me over to where my baby was. It was hard seeing her hooked up to so many wires and machines in a tiny clear box, but I felt so happy to see her breathing at all. She was basically unharmed apart from some stress due to being delivered too early. 

I stepped up to the incubator and looked down at her, feeling my eyes water a bit.

"She's beautiful." I whispered as I gently touched the glass.

"You can put your hand in if you want." 

I looked at the doctor for a moment and she nodded to give me permission again. I turned back to my baby and hesitated before placing my hand in through one of the holes. I placed my finger into her tiny hand and gently brushed over her knuckles with my thumb. She squeezed my finger just barely and I laughed softly.

"Daddy's here, Princess. I love you so much." I whispered to her. 

"I'll go check on your fiancé." Dr. Montgomery said.

I nodded and stayed close to Rosie, talking softly to her and keeping my hand by her the whole time. Even if Charlie didn't make it at least I had our little girl as a piece of her. The thought broke my heart, but I had to be strong for our baby.

It was another hour before they finally got back to me about Charlie and thankfully they said she had pulled through the surgery after a few close calls and was finally stable enough to be moved to a room. I was completely exhausted as I stepped into her room, having had no sleep all night, but I wanted to stay up until I could be next to my love again. I sat beside her bed in a chair and held onto her hand, laying my head down on the bed beside her body as I finally allowed sleep to take over now that I knew she was safe.

Charlie’s POV

A steady beeping woke me up and the first thing I noticed was that Harry was sleeping beside me on the bed with his hand held in mine. I smiled softly and gently ran my fingers through his hair for a moment then tried to move, but a sudden pain shot through my body. I inhaled sharply and whimpered, gripping onto Harry’s hand which immediately woke him up. When I looked down at my flat stomach I felt (and heard) my heart rate pick up as I immediately started panicking when everything came back to me.

“Rosie. Where is she? Is she okay? Oh my god, is she…” My voice broke as tears filled my eyes.

“Shh. Charlie, she's fine. Rosie is fine. Calm down, love.” Harry said as he leaned forward more so he could be closer to me.

“She's really okay? Can I see her?” I asked.

He sighed softly and gently brushed my tears away.

“I'm not sure that's a good idea yet, my love. Since she's so little yet she's in an incubator in the NICU. She's alright but she'll have to stay in there for a while yet. Our doctor said it could take up to a week or two.” He explained.

“But I can get up and see her though right?” I said as I started to get up but he gently pushed me back down.

“Not right now. You just got out of a long surgery for your wound and a C-Section. You need to rest. The less you do that the longer it'll take for you to see her.” He said.

I sighed deeply and nodded, knowing he was right but I didn’t have to like it. 

“Do you have any pictures?” I asked him.

He smiled softly and nodded as he pulled out his phone then showed me the pictures of our baby girl. My eyes filled with tears when I saw her hooked up to the machines but at least she was safe and alive.

“Dr. Montgomery said she might have some asthma issues later on but other than that she's perfectly healthy.” Harry explained to me.

“Well that’s not so bad. You're an expert on that stuff.” I laughed, knowing that he also had asthma attacks every once in a while.

It was kind of funny how I found out about it because it happened when we were messing around in bed one night, but that’s a story for another time.

I looked back to the pictures and looked over every feature she had, wishing I could go in there and see her right this second but I knew that I needed to wait until I was healed up enough otherwise she would be getting out of here before me. She looked quite a bit like Harry from what I noticed from his baby pictures that his mother showed me and I hoped that meant that she inherited his adorable dimples as well. His smile was my favorite feature about him, and if she had it then she would be a heartbreaker when she was older.

“She’s so tiny. I know it looks like she’s bigger on the photos, but she’s a little peanut. I can’t wait for you to see her.” Harry smiled.

“I hope to see her sooner rather than later… but I think you should go get a doctor now because I need some more drugs.” I said to him as I winced slightly from the pain I felt coming from my stomach.

“Shit. Right. I’ll be right back.”

He jumped up and left the room, returning with the doctor a few minutes later. He checked everything over and gave me a little more pain medicine which definitely helped but I knew that I would still need a lot of help if I were to go to the bathroom. It wasn’t long until Anne and Gemma came in to visit and the two of them fussed over me to no end, but it only made me smile because I felt like I really was a part of the family.

“I’m fine, guys. I’ll live.” I assured them.

“How can you be so happy after being shot?” Gemma asked as she furrowed her brows.

“I’m okay and my baby is okay. That’s all that matters. I’m not going to lie though just thinking about going out in public again is making me super anxious, but I can’t live my life cooped up in hiding either. The threat is gone now and there is nothing to be afraid of anymore.” I said with a shrug.

“Spoken like a true Queen.” Anne smiled.

Her words made me blush a bit. Just thinking about the fact that some time in the next year or so I would be Queen beside Harry made me feel odd, but at the same time I felt ready this time. Before I was terrified of it, but now I think I can really pull it off. Especially after seeing Anne do everything with such ease. I could definitely learn a lot from her.

“You should get some rest, love. Your parents and brothers will be here in a few hours.” Harry said to me as he grabbed onto my hand.

“They’re coming?” I asked.

“Yeah. They were watching and jumped on the first flight. Shouldn’t be too long now until they come murder me for not protecting you well enough.” He joked slightly, but I could tell he felt guilty about everything.

“Come here.” 

I gently pulled him closer and lightly slapped his cheek to snap him out of his guilty mind.

“Don’t you ever blame yourself for this. It’s not your fault. If anything it’s mine for being stubborn and not listening to you, but it’s over and done with now. Everything is okay so you need to stop thinking like that and just forget about it.” I scolded him.

He chuckled softly and smiled, nodding his head before I pulled him closer so I could give him a long kiss.

“I love you.” I murmured against his lips.

“I love you, too. Now go to bed.” He said.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away.

“Yes, father.” I said sarcastically which only made him laugh more.

Despite everything that happened in the last twenty four hours I felt great and I knew that things could only get better from here.

~.:Two Weeks Later:.~

Today was the day. 

We would finally get to bring our baby girl home for the first time and I couldn’t be more excited, but the thought of walking her out to the car when I knew there were a ton of people out there made me sick to my stomach. I was nearly fully recovered, but still had some pain every once in a while and my scars had yet to heal properly. 

After the first four days in the hospital I finally just got myself up and walked myself down to see Rosie while everyone had their attention elsewhere. Of course I had gotten scolded by multiple people, but it was worth it because I had finally gotten to see my baby for the first time and I immediately fell in love with her. A week later I was allowed to hold her for the first time and it was the best feeling in the world. I had held many babies before her, but this one was mine and there was a much stronger bond between us than any of the others. She had started growing stronger after our daily visits to hold her so now she was finally able to come home.

Harry and I were still waiting our home to be finished that we just decided to build so it would be closer to his family but also private enough so it as our own. So for the time being we were going to be staying at the country house with our families. My brothers had to leave to go back home after the first week of staying here, but my parents decided to stay for a while longer to help out where they could and spend more time with us which was nice.

“Make sure it’s tight enough.” I told Harry as I watched him put Rosie in the baby carrier.

“I know, Charlie.” He said as he buckled her in.

“But not too tight.” I added.

He chuckled and shook his head as he paused to look at me.

“I have this, babe. Calm down.” He said before going back to what he was doing.

Of course he put her in perfectly, but as I quickly discovered I was an overprotective mother who wanted to make sure everything was okay myself even though I had complete trust in Harry. As he turned to grab the bag I subtly leaned down to tug at the straps to make sure she was secured, looking up to see Harry watching me with a raised brow.

“Shut up. I can’t help it.” I pouted.

“I didn’t say anything.” He said as he held up his hands in defense.

“Yeah, but you were thinking it.” I huffed.

He playfully rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Stop worrying so much. I’ll keep our baby girl safe.” He promised me.

“I know… I just get anxious and I have to check myself so I know for sure otherwise it drives me crazy.”

“I know. It’s alright.”

I closed my eyes as he pressed his lips to my forehead for a long moment until Liam stepped in to let us know the car was ready. I looked up at Harry who kissed my lips gently.

“We’ll be alright, love.” He assured me.

I nodded and let him take Rosie since I couldn’t carry her with the added weight of the car seat without risking hurting myself. Instead I took his hand, holding it tightly as we got closer to the entrance of the hospital. The cameras started flashing and it immediately reminded me of the flash that came from the barrel of the gun seconds before I felt the sharp pain in my stomach. My grip on Harry’s hand got tighter as I allowed him to pull me along until we finally got to the car. He put Rosie in first and made sure her seat locked in with the base that was already buckled in before turning to me as I struggled to breathe.

“Charlie, take a breath. Get in the car, love.” He said as he helped me inside, standing by my door for a moment to make sure I took a few deep breaths before going around to the other side and quickly getting in.

I reached over to put my hand on Rosie’s belly, needing to feel her breathe to remind myself that we were okay. I looked up at Harry as I felt his hand cover mine and he interlocked our fingers together, gently brushing his thumb over the side of my hand to soothe me.

“Deep breaths, love.” He said softly.

I watched as he breathed with me, mimicking how his chest would rise and fall until the panic attack finally subsided and I felt like I could breathe again. That was definitely much harder than I thought, but at least I had Harry to bring me back to reality if it happened again.

Harry’s POV

Seeing Charlie panic like that was awful. I could tell the moment we stepped out that she was going into full panic mode and she was struggling to breathe so I took a moment to make sure she was calming down before going over to my side. She finally calmed down in the car, but it wasn’t until we were stepping into the house that she fully relaxed because she knew we were safer inside. I carried Rosie in then took her out of her seat, knowing that Charlie wanted to hold her, and as soon as I held her out Charlie immediately took her in her arms and held her close. I watched her kiss our daughter on the forehead and whisper a few words to her before placing another few kisses on her cheek. My heart swelled with pride and despite how scary things got I was happy to finally be home with my little family.

As I followed Charlie into the bedroom that we were going to be temporarily using for a nursery I couldn’t be happier and I knew that from this moment forward I would protect the two of them at all costs.


	16. 16

Charlie’s POV - 2 Years Later

“Are you ready for this?” Jenna asked me as she stood behind me while we looked in the mirror.

“For the first time in my life I am.” I smiled softly as I looked back at her. “Thank you for being here.”

“Of course. I mean it’s not every day your best friend gets married to a prince. A hot one no less.” She teased.

I playfully rolled my eyes then looked over as my mother and Anne stepped in, both of them looking happy when they finally saw me in my dress. This wouldn’t be the dress for the royal ceremony, but for just me it was perfect. The dress was lace and beautiful, everything I had dreamed it to be and Jenna designed it for me.

“You look so beautiful.” My mum sniffled.

“Mum, don't cry. You know I'm a sympathetic crier.” I said with a laugh as I hugged her tightly, tearing up a bit myself.

“I know. I'm sorry. I just wanted to give you this. Something blue… I wore this clip at my wedding.” 

She held up a beautiful blue clip and placed it in my hair which was up in an elegant bun with a few strands hanging down to frame my face.

“And this is your something borrowed. I also wore this at my wedding with Harry’s father.” Anne smiled softly and placed a beautiful necklace onto my neck.

“Thank you.” I smiled softly, giving them a hug as the door opened once more to reveal my heart and soul followed by my father.

“Mama!” Rosie squealed as she ran over to me happily.

“Hi, baby. You look so pretty in your dress.” I told her with a wide smile.

Our gorgeous baby girl was now a little over two years old and the light of my life. She was so happy and bubbly, and a goofball much like her father. She was getting curls in her brown hair and her dimples were more prominent now that she was smiling more.

“Y you look pwetty too mama.” She said adorably.

For a two year old she was quite the smart little girl and talked a mile a minute so she fumbled on her words quite a bit which just melted my heart. I never wanted her to grow past this stage.

“Thank you, sweetie. Are you ready to throw flowers for me?” I asked her.

She smiled widely and nodded then I set her down so we could go get in position. Just as Harry promised we were currently in Colorado overlooking a gorgeous view of the mountains. We were having our private wedding here first so it could be more intimate then we were having the more public one back home. Of course I was nervous about that, but after the past couple years of therapy my anxiety wasn’t so crippling that it kept me from being out in public anymore.

Once everyone was seated we got into position and I took a deep breath.

“You ready for this?” My father asked.

“I am.”

Harry’s POV

The music started and I felt my heart begin to race in my chest as I kept my eyes glued to the end of the aisle. All of our closest friends and family were here which made it so perfect. This was the wedding I had always wanted and I knew that Charlie had wanted it as well. 

A wide smile formed on my lips as I watched our daughter round the corner, throwing petals at people sitting nearby. She was so cute and I just adored her. The moment she spotted me her face lit up and she squealed before waving.

“Hi Daddy!” She yelled down the aisle which made me chuckle.

“Hi, Princess. Come here.” I said as I knelt down, opening my arms up so she could run into them.

I picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, letting her hug me since I hadn’t seen her since yesterday after dinner because I wasn’t allowed to see Charlie before this moment. When I finally saw her she took my breath away and I found myself asking what I ever did to deserve such a wonderful person in my life. My eyes watered a bit and I looked down at Rosie as a tiny hand brushed a tear from my face.

“Don't cwy, Daddy.” She frowned.

“I'm not crying, sweetheart.” I assured her.

“Yes, you are.” She huffed.

“Okay, I am, but they're happy tears. I'm very happy and your mummy looks so beautiful. You have to go to Nana now okay?” I told her as I gave her a kiss then set her down so she could run over to where our parents were sitting.

When I stood up Charlie was stepping up to me and I smiled widely, taking her hand as I helped her up onto the platform.

“You look stunning.” I whispered to her.

“You look pretty good yourself.” She winked and smiled back at me.

I turned to the priest who began the ceremony and as soon as it was over I pulled her in and kissed her deeply, pulling her into a dip which sent her into a fit of giggles. I smiled against her lips and placed on last kiss on her lips after I set her back up on her feet.

“I love you.” I murmured.

“I love you, too.”

She smiled so brightly at me and I felt like my world was finally complete. If I died right now I would die a very happy man, but of course I planned on waiting until I was old and grey with grandkids.

We turned our attention to our guests who were clapping for us and I smiled as I led my wife down to get our daughter who immediately ran over to us. I picked her up and held her with my free arm, unable to wipe the wide smile off my face as we walked together as a family. Having the wedding here was a better idea than I had imagined. I never realized how precious something like this could be and I was glad that we decided to keep it private between our families and closest friends.

We held the reception in a beautiful lodge up in the mountains right next to where we got married which had an amazing view. Everything was just perfect and as I danced with my wife I couldn’t help but feel like this is where I was meant to be. Not in front of thousands of people and television crews, but in the mountains with my family just enjoying the moment.

“Charlie… I've been doing a lot of thinking… and I really think that we should just move here.” I said to her, seeing her face twist with confusion.

“What about your country? Harry, you can't just give that up. I know I still have some issues but I'm getting help for it and I can try to be the queen that England needs me to be.” She said, but I knew her all too well.

I knew that her anxiety would get the better of her and that she would be a nervous wreck every time we had to go out in public for an event. We had been going nonstop since Rosie was born and she never had the chance to properly heal. She would never admit it to me that she wasn’t ready because she wanted to make me happy, but I didn’t want her to make herself miserable just to keep me happy.

“My mother has already offered to stay as Queen for a while until we’re ready and Rosie is older. Why don't we give her a normal childhood? Let her grow up like you did but still knowing she has royal blood? She could live a normal life and when she’s old enough we can move back and I can take over the throne. You need time to heal, love. We both do. We won't get that being constantly surrounded by hundreds of people and having our lives under a magnifying glass.”

“Harry…” 

Her eyes began to water and I could see that she was feeling guilty about her struggle to get over the shooting, but I quickly wiped her tears.

“I love you, Charlie. I can see how happy and relaxed you are here. This is your home and I want us to make a life together here. I want our daughter to grow up feeling safe and like a normal child. I want this. It's not just because of you.” I assured her.

“Okay.” She finally whispered.

“Good, because I already bought us a house and it's too late to take it back.” I joked, finally getting a laugh out of her.

“You're so annoying.” She rolled her eyes.

“I love you too snookums. Now come here.”

I pulled her against my chest and leaned in to kiss her soft lips, feeling like nothing else in the world mattered. 

A few years ago I ran away from my duties and obligations, not realizing that I was actually running straight into the arms of the love of my life.

The End


End file.
